Audiobook #Review: Vendetta In Death (In Death #49) by J. D. Robb

Book Title: Vendetta In Death (In Death # 49)
Author:  J. D. Robb |Website| Facebook| Pinterest
Publisher: Macmillan Audio

Genre: Mystery/ Suspense, Romantic Suspense, SciFi Romance
Series/Standalone: Book 49
Format: Audiobook
Narrator: Susan Ericksen

Audio Service: Scribd
Hours in Book: 12 hours 42 mins

Cost: $8.99

Pages: 356

How I got it: Scribd 

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound
Publication Date: Spetember 09, 2019
Add To Goodreads
Synopsis:

The predator becomes the prey in the newest thriller in the #1 New York Times bestselling series featuring homicide detective Eve Dallas.

She calls herself Lady Justice. And once she has chosen a man as her target, she turns herself into a tall blonde or a curvaceous redhead, makes herself as alluring and seductive as possible to them. Once they are in her grasp, they are powerless.

The first victim is wealthy businessman Nigel McEnroy. His company’s human resources department has already paid out settlements to a couple of his young victims—but they don’t know that his crimes go far beyond workplace harassment. Lady Justice knows. And in one shocking night of brutality, she makes him pay a much steeper price.

Now Eve Dallas and her husband, Roarke, are combing through the evidence of McEnroy’s secret life. His compulsive need to record his misdeeds provides them with a wide range of suspects, but the true identity of Lady Justice remains elusive. It’s a challenging case, made even more difficult by McEnroy’s widow, who reacts to the investigation with fury, denial, and threats. Meanwhile, Lady Justice’s criminal crusade is escalating rapidly, and if Eve can’t stop this vigilante, there’s no telling how much blood may be spilled…

Overall:
Good story, fantastic plot and I just love Eve's growth to this point. The narrator as always helps to make the book fly by and I can't say how much that enhances the reading experience.  Another reviewer pointed out that Eve needs something to shake her up and I believe that as well. She's learning how to make her found family work and how to work better with others, she is handling her past better each time, even if she panics at the thought of family events ( I mean who doesn't ) and her reactions to Bella are hilarious.

Narrator:
Fantastic as always, even though it's one actress doing all the voices, her inflections and accents make the cast of characters come alive. Her Roarke voice kills me each and every time. It's funny how you can tell Peabody's voice and I love it.  

Story:

This one felt a little too easy. Like we knew who it was we just had to prove it, also fuck this villain. A little bit of a spoiler here, but the villain is aware that one of their intended targets to kill is a serial rapists and instead of protecting the women she sees him getting ready to victimize or even turning that information over to the SVU team she lets it happen and then uses it as an excuse to kill him. Yeah fuck that you could have protected two other women but your vendetta mattered more?? Fuck you you're no hero, you're a coward.

This case rushed close to Eve's history and it made her realize just how far she had come from when she first remembered and how far she needs to go. The last few cases have had a few brushes against her history and this one especially makes her think of what she would have done without the people who surrounded her. I fell in love with Captain Feeney even more once we realized just how good a guy he was.  I totally understand her devotion to him now because she's right he could have made her swallow it back and keep moving.

I love the care that was given to talking about the survivors and how the group helped them and seeing the different woman & how they aligned with survivorship because not everyone comes out swinging and ready for vengeance, some just want to forget, some don't want the fight and want to move on. None of those are wrong and I love that one way of survivorship wasn't pushed as being the only way.  As for the reasoning of the villain what a dumb bitch like how about getting back at him by being better??? You went to this group saw how so many were struggling to deal with real pain and you got bitter??? Bitch if you don't sit your ass in a corner. Now look at you, sitting in a box, allowing that piece of dog feces of a husband to determine what happens to you. Again. Dumbass.

I love that for a while there her genius when it comes to electronics really kept her from being detected easily and that the team had to work at it. Also she's so badass that the e-geeks wanted to stay and play with her toys after the bust.  Eve cracks me up because she is so clueless when it comes to celebrities unless it's in baseball. Her response to Peabody when she didn't know any of the baseball players had me cracking up in the store while I walked around pretending to do my groceries. The clues began to pile up but again only because you had to dig around. The work the villain put it was stellar and made Eve work for it.  I called the killer maybe 10 % in?? Even before Eve began to lean a certain way, and of course once Eve gives it to us, we know who it is and work on bringing them in.

Sometimes Eve can be harsh to other women, but the last few stories and especially in these as each woman is introduced she's shown her growth in how she handles them. Even the wife who refuses to see the truth because it would destroy her world view.  I also love that Eve is growing enough that she's learning that the politics of it isn't all bullshyt and she's no longer talking like she's the only good cop in this world.  Pretty good story and plot. It moves quickly and I absolutely love how Eve uses her reqorces in this one. Sometimes even a cop can't get be the one to bring about justice doesn't mean there aren't other avenues to bring it about. 

 ★★★★1/2☆

Series In Order

• Naked In Death       Glory In Death         Immortal In Death
• Rapture In Death     Ceremony In Death    Vengence In Death
• Holiday In Death     Midnight In Death 7.5   Conspiracy In Death
• Loyalty In Death      Witness In Death          Judgement In Death
• Betrayal In Death     Interlude In Death  12.5      Seduction In Death
• Reunion In Death     Purity In Death      Portrait In Death
• Imitation In Death    Big Jack 17.5        Divided In Death
• Vision In Death        Survivor In Death  Origin In Death
• Memory In Death     Haunted In Death 22.5      Born In Death
• Innocent In Death     Creation    In Death           Eternity In Death 25.5
• Strangers In Death    Salvation In Death             Kindred In Death
• Missing In Death 29.5      Fantasy In Death        Indulgence In Death
• Possession In Death 31.5  Treachery In Death    New York To Dallas
• Chaos In Death 33.5          Celebrity In Death     Delusion In Death
• Calculated In Death           Thankless In Death   Taken In Death 37.5
• Concealed In Death        Festive In Death       Obsession In Death     
• Devoted In Death     Wonderment In Death 41.5   Brotherhood In Death
• Apprentice In Death  Echoes In Death   Secrets In Death
• Dark In Death   Leverage In Death   Connections In Death 

RECOMMENDATIONS

• Heather Graham, Maggie Shayne, Jory Strong 

Happy Reading my loves, 

Audiobook #Review: Connections In Death (In Death #48) by J. D Robb

Book Title: Connections In Death (In Death #48)
Author:  J. D. Robb |Website| Facebook| Pinterest
Publisher: MacMillan Audio

Genre: SciFI Romance, Romantic Suspense
Series/Standalone: Book 48
Format: Audiobook
Narrator: Susan Ericksen

Audio Service: MacMillan Audio
Hours in Book: 12 Hours 20 mins

Cost: $8.99

Pages: 371

How I got it: Scribd

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Publisher
Publication Date: February 05, 2019
Add To Goodreads
Synopsis:

In this gritty and gripping new novel in the #1 New York Times bestselling series, Eve Dallas fights to save the innocent—and serve justice to the guilty—on the streets of New York.

Homicide cop Eve Dallas and her billionaire husband, Roarke, are building a brand-new school and youth shelter. They know that the hard life can lead kids toward dangerous crossroads—and with this new project, they hope to nudge a few more of them onto the right path. For expert help, they hire child psychologist Dr. Rochelle Pickering—whose own brother pulled himself out of a spiral of addiction and crime with Rochelle’s support.

Lyle is living with Rochelle while he gets his life together, and he’s thrilled to hear about his sister’s new job offer. But within hours, triumph is followed by tragedy. Returning from a celebratory dinner with her boyfriend, she finds Lyle dead with a syringe in his lap, and Eve’s investigation confirms that this wasn’t just another OD. After all his work to get clean, Lyle’s been pumped full of poison—and a neighbor with a peephole reports seeing a scruffy, pink-haired girl fleeing the scene.

Now Eve and Roarke must venture into the gang territory where Lyle used to run, and the ugly underground world of tattoo parlors and strip joints where everyone has taken a wrong turn somewhere. They both believe in giving people a second chance. Maybe even a third or fourth. But as far as they’re concerned, whoever gave the order on Lyle Pickering’s murder has run out of chances…

Overall:
Whoever made the decision to have the high pitched sound in the middle of the books. Bite me. I didn't care about counting them, I just wanted the story. Don't do that mess again. It breaks up the story and not in a good way.  Plus if you have hearing issues and aren't prepared for the tones it can be startling.

The story flowed well other than those stupid tones that kept interrupting.

Narrator:
Fantastic as always, even though it's one actress doing all the voices, her inflections and accents make the cast of characters come alive.

Story:

This is the story about the many different connection Eve has created since breaking out of her shell. Eve has been solitary and here she's celebrating one of her best friend's new adventures in home ownership. Surrounded by all the people she's made into her own unique brand of family we once again get to hang with the whole crew including Crack the bouncer/ club owner of the gritty bar that Eve used to hang out in; he's here with a new lady one he's never introduced to the group before and this gets Eve's back up. Once she gets talking with Roarke she discovers the woman is one of the Drs in the running to help run the facility she and Roarke are planning. 

Not longer after learning more about the woman and her family Eve is called by Crack because Dr's sibling has been killed.  Now she has to stand up for a man who has appeared to have turn the corner on his life after going to jail.  And she is now going into gang territory to find out who killed a man who was by all accounts a man working his way back to healthy and normal.

This story was actually pretty good. I loved the discussions between Eve and Roarke about where they would be if they had met before Roarke was ready to give up being a criminal.  What would have happened if Eve had taken a different path than becoming a homicide cop and why she needed it so bad. What makes a "good" person; how opportunity and the people who come into your lives play a role and how it can impact your choices.

In this one we got to see quite a bit of interdepartmental crossing and work. General the series focuses on Eve and her team but this time we got to see some of the other cops we might of met in other books.  Eve really goes all in on this one, I mean she normally does that for all her cases but this one really pissed her off and she really went for it.  I loved that Roarke loves puzzles so helping her allows him to hack and dabble without going against the law.

This was another great addition to the series, as the story shows not only Eve & Roarke's growth as a couple but the family they have created to surround themselves with. We also get to learn a little bit more about New York post Urbans and the different parts that make up the New York now. It's not all upscale murders, this time it's a gang with a grudge and a possible war for territory.

I enjoyed it and finished it within one day. Great narration, good story. I highly recommend.

 ★★★★☆

Series In Order

• Naked In Death       Glory In Death         Immortal In Death
• Rapture In Death     Ceremony In Death    Vengence In Death
• Holiday In Death     Midnight In Death 7.5   Conspiracy In Death
• Loyalty In Death      Witness In Death          Judgement In Death
• Betrayal In Death     Interlude In Death  12.5      Seduction In Death
• Reunion In Death     Purity In Death      Portrait In Death
• Imitation In Death    Big Jack 17.5        Divided In Death
• Vision In Death        Survivor In Death  Origin In Death
• Memory In Death     Haunted In Death 22.5      Born In Death
• Innocent In Death     Creation    In Death           Eternity In Death 25.5
• Strangers In Death    Salvation In Death             Kindred In Death
• Missing In Death 29.5      Fantasy In Death        Indulgence In Death
• Possession In Death 31.5  Treachery In Death    New York To Dallas
• Chaos In Death 33.5          Celebrity In Death     Delusion In Death
• Calculated In Death           Thankless In Death   Taken In Death 37.5
• Concealed In Death        Festive In Death       Obsession In Death     
• Devoted In Death     Wonderment In Death 41.5   Brotherhood In Death
• Apprentice In Death  Echoes In Death   Secrets In Death
• Dark In Death   Leverage In Death   Connections In Death 

RECOMMENDATIONS

• Heather Graham 

Happy Reading my loves, 

AudioBook #Review: Echoes In Death # 44 by J. D. Robb

Book Title: Echoes In Death (In Death 44)
Author:  J. D. Robb |Website| Facebook| 

Publisher: St. Martin's Press/ Brilliance Audio
Genre: Mystery/ Suspense/ SciFi Romance/ Futuristic SciFi
Series/Standalone: Book 44

Format: Audiobook, Hardcover, Mass Market
Narrator: Susan Eriksen

Audio Service: Scribd 

Hours in Book:  13 hours and 43 mins

Cost: $8.99

Pages: 371

How I got it: Scribd Subscription 

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble |
Publication Date: February 07, 2017
Add To Goodreads
Synopsis:

This chilling new suspense novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author J.D. Robb is the perfect entry point into the compelling In Death police procedural series featuring Lieutenant Eve Dallas.

As NY Lt. Eve Dallas and her billionaire husband Roarke are driving home, a young woman—dazed, naked, and bloody—suddenly stumbles out in front of their car. Roarke slams on the brakes and Eve springs into action.

Daphne Strazza is rushed to the ER, but it’s too late for her husband Dr. Anthony Strazza. A brilliant orthopedic surgeon, he now lies dead amid the wreckage of his obsessively organized town house, his three safes opened and emptied. Daphne would be a valuable witness, but in her terror and shock the only description of the perp she can offer is repeatedly calling him “the devil”...

While it emerges that Dr. Strazza was cold, controlling, and widely disliked, this is one case where the evidence doesn’t point to the spouse. So Eve and her team must get started on the legwork, interviewing everyone from dinner-party guests to professional colleagues to caterers, in a desperate race to answer some crucial questions:

What does the devil look like? And where will he show up next? (

Overall:
Another great addition to the In Death series, focusing mostly on the case with only a few moments of splashes into Eve's life we get one hell of a story. Despite what appears to be a random set of perfect crimes Eve knows there is always a connection and she digs for them.  I loved how vulnerable Eve was in this one and the balance between her and Roarke being what it is, he's able to see it and prep to aide her when she needs it. And there is a moment in her office that brought tears to my eyes, just he's so freaking awesome.

Narrator:
Fantastic, she's able to embody each of the characters. After a while you don't even realize it's still one person sharing the story as her voice, inflections and intonations change with each character and she really conveys the emotions of each. It helps bring each of the characters to life in a way that I couldn't stop listening and finished the book within two days (which is a feat when you're working two jobs okay?!!)

Story:

Sweet Gawds this is another of the stories that focuses on the case but has a few echoes in Eve's life.  Eve and Roarke are coming home from a swanky event and almost run over a woman who needs their help. From there the case takes many turns as they are unraveling the mystery of who did this to the couple and why. And will he strike again??

Once Eve begins to work the case she discovers there are even more victims than they had been aware of. Working the case slowly the tiny threads that connect all the couples start to come up and the reasons for the attacks begin to come out.  And because of the circumstances of the cases it brings up echoes of Eve's childhood which makes it hard to work the case.  And yet as many of her cases have forced her to reconcile with her past, and deal with it she's on steadier ground than sh'd been when we first got to know her.

From the beginning Roarke is involved in the case and keeping an eye on Eve's emotional levels. As the story progresses and the case is worked, Eve shows us the growth that has led to her being a better officer, and partner.  With her understanding of both victim and pathology of what makes the villain tick she's able to work the case faster. With this one we get very little of Eve's life and focus more on the case and the spaces it splashes on her private life. I liked the focus on case, even as we see the moments when Eve learns to embrace more than the job. She's still not comfortable with being the wife of a multi-billionaire, but she's learning to get better with it. The last few cases have been pushing her and she's had to make adjustments in her thinking and the way she handles relationships.

For me at times Eve reminds me of Dr Brennan from Bones, with her lack of social conditioning due to being raised in the system, so at times Eve is unaware of how things come off, or the point of a common saying and doesn't have the references for a lot of 'normal' things a lot of people do. I also appreciated that while the case was no more brutal than it normally is for Eve, that this time the sexy lovemaking we come to expect from them wasn't included. While dealing with the difficult topic, Eve and Roarke were still intimate and taking time with each other, in fact I would say Eve is starting to learn to relax more with the new level of wealth she's married into, she doesn't take it for granted yet as someone who has been married into it for decades might but she isn't always gawking like a country bumpkin either. I loved that they comforted each other, had great moments that were't about lovemaking while they worked this case and dealt with how it triggered Eve.

I'm going to be doing a post perhaps even a video about my dislikes about Eve's character because there are a few and they really work my nerves. However in this case, Eve was fascinating, as she knew who the criminal was and worked backwards to make the dots work and that was intriguing. When she had the criminal in the interrogation room is when she really came alive. I loved the new side to Peabody as well. This was a great addition to the series and if you've never read the series this would be a good place to start as it does a good job of summarizing the whole series without weighting down the book.

I love the way the team came together, how Roarke kept Eve even and worked well with the others to really bring this case in . Another great addition to the series.

 ★★★★☆

Series In Order

• Naked In Death       Glory In Death         Immortal In Death
• Rapture In Death     Ceremony In Death    Vengence In Death
• Holiday In Death     Midnight In Death 7.5   Conspiracy In Death
• Loyalty In Death      Witness In Death          Judgement In Death
• Betrayal In Death     Interlude In Death  12.5      Seduction In Death
• Reunion In Death     Purity In Death      Portrait In Death
• Imitation In Death    Big Jack 17.5        Divided In Death
• Vision In Death        Survivor In Death  Origin In Death
• Memory In Death     Haunted In Death 22.5      Born In Death
• Innocent In Death     Creation    In Death           Eternity In Death 25.5
• Strangers In Death    Salvation In Death             Kindred In Death
• Missing In Death 29.5      Fantasy In Death        Indulgence In Death
• Possession In Death 31.5  Treachery In Death    New York To Dallas
• Chaos In Death 33.5          Celebrity In Death     Delusion In Death
• Calculated In Death           Thankless In Death   Taken In Death 37.5
• Concealed In Death        Festive In Death       Obsession In Death     
• Devoted In Death     Wonderment In Death 41.5   Brotherhood In Death
• Apprentice In Death  Echoes In Death 

RECOMMENDATIONS

• Heather Graham
• Julie Garwood  

Happy Reading my loves, 

Book #Review: Innocent Prey (Brown & De Luca # 3) by Maggie Shayne .@maggieshayne .@HarlequinBooks

Book Title: Innocent Prey (Brown & De Luca 3)
Author:  Maggie Shayne|Website| Twitter| Facebook| Instagram

Publisher: Harlequin MIRA

Genre: Romance, Paranormal Romance, Romantic Thriller
Series/Standalone: Book 3
Format: ebook, Mass Market 

Cost: $4.99

Pages: 320

How I got it: Purchased

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Publisher
Publication Date: October 01, 2014
Add To Goodreads
Synopsis:

To save innocent lives, they'll have to risk their own.

Self-help superstar Rachel de Luca and Detective Mason Brown have finally given in to their overwhelming attraction to each other, but neither of them is ready to let physical passion turn into full-blown romance, so they carefully maintain an emotional distance. Then a judge's daughter disappears, and Mason has a terrible sense that it's connected to the most recent case they solved together: the abduction of Rachel's assistant.

The discovery of a string of missing women—all young, all troubled—seems like a promising lead. But there's no clear connection between the missing girls and the high-profile young woman Mason is trying to find. He realizes that once again he'll have to rely on his own well-honed instincts and Rachel's uncanny capacity to see through people's lies in order to catch a predator and rescue his captives. But can they do it before Rachel becomes his next victim?

**** Trigger Warning: For violence towards women, discussion of trafficking of women***

This harkens back to the case we started in on in Dream of Danger. Young women have been going missing for a while, then Amy was snatched and while they were able to catch one of the men involved it appears this case is bigger and has far-reaching corruption. Just how far?? Well, that's what we're going to find out in this care.

I absolutely loved this one. I felt like Rachel and Mason had really hit their stride after the first three cases and are now dealing with more than what is happening within their family circle.  This time this case doesn't originate from the original decision Mason made, and they are scrambling to fit all the pieces in. Rachel also has to make a decision about what she really wants from Mason as there is promotion up for grabs and she wants Mason to go for it, but does he want it?? How will it impact their relationship??   This one feels right on time considering all the reckoning that's happening (much deserved and for some way too lenient) her in the US right now.

Once again the story starts off wild, with the victim and we just know that the tiny glimmer of hope she had was not going to be enough. I actually flinched reading that passage.  Then we get to Rachel and Mason who are working on their relationship (is that what they have or nah??)  and they end up with a case that needs to be off the books as the victim's dad doesn't want it spread about that his daughter is missing. Mason's instincts are screaming and he turns to Rachel for help and from there we get one hell of a ride.

We jump back and forth from Mason, Rachel and the young woman who is missing. She's realizing just how vulnerable she is now, and even though she's not alone she's trying to make sure the others with her hold out hope. When given the chance the young women attempt to escape and one of them pays with her life but this is the break Mason needed to make this case an official bring in the big guns case and they are off and running.  So much happens from Rachel having to face some home truths to Mason realizing that there is more going on than even he believed and young women fighting to stay alive long enough to be rescued.

Rachel has a few moments here that make her a too stupid to live character, but at the same time, it was the most realistic response to what would happen that I had to laugh and totally understood at the same time why she did it.  I loved Rachel's snark as it helped her get through so many tough situations while allowing her to speak the truth. I loved the development of the characters that we have seen and wish we could get a bit more about Mason's best friend.

Once agian the case took a big chunk of the story while peppering bits about their personal lives without the story of the case being sacrificed. I loved the balance between the two; I found the case and the characters engaging and needed to know how it all was going to be resolved.  I read this one pretty quickly as well and can't wait to see what the next one has for us.  I enjoyed that she also leaves little stings to be pulled in other books, never quite giving us a full scoop on Mason and Rachel's issues as that would be too neat.

 ★★★★☆

Series In Order

• Sleep With The Lights On (Brown & De Luca 1)
• Dream of Danger (Brown & De Luca 1.5)
• Wake To Darkness (Brown & De Luca 2)

RECOMMENDATIONS

• Heather Graham Krewe of Hunters Series
• Lisa Jackson

Happy Reading my loves, 

ARC Book #Review: Wake To Darkness ( Brown & De Luca 3 2) by Maggie Shayne .@maggieshayne .@HarlequinBooks .@Netgalley

Book Title: Wake To Darkness (Brown & De Luca 2)
Author:  Maggie Shayne|Website| Twitter| Facebook| Instagram

Publisher: Harlequin MIRA

Genre: Paranormal Romance, Romance, Romantic Thriller
Series/Standalone:  Book 2
Format: Mass Market, ebook 

Cost: $7.99

Pages: 368

How I got it: ARC via NetGalley

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Publisher
Publication Date: November 26, 2013
Add To Goodreads
Synopsis:

Stranded with a murderer...

Rachel de Luca's uncanny sense of perception is the key to her success as a self-help celebrity. Even before she regained her sight, she had a gift for seeing people's most carefully hidden secrets. But the secret she shares with Detective Mason Brown is one she has promised to keep. As for Mason, he sees Rachel more clearly than she'd like to admit...

After a single night of adrenaline-fueled passion, they have agreed to keep their distance—until a string of murders brings them together again. Mason thinks that he can protect everyone he loves, including Rachel, by taking them to a winter hideaway, but danger follows them up the mountain.

As guests disappear from the snowbound resort, the race to find the murderer intensifies. Rachel knows she's a target. Will acknowledging her feelings for Mason destroy her...or save them both and stop a killer?

In an attempt to protect his family from the repercussions of his decision in book one, Mason takes them away to a holiday ski resort. Only the killer has followed them there and a snowstorm has cut them off from getting help or getting out of there. This one had some of my favorite romance & thriller tropes snowbound in a remote area; unknown killer amongst the guests; and secrets are threatened. Yep, it's all in there.  And I flew through this one trying to get to the end and discover just who the killer was.  And I was so satisfied when we got the answer.

Bodies start turning up with grisly details and once Mason realizes what the connections between the victims are he tries to isolate everyone who could possibly be a victim. Only the killer seems to be one step ahead of them and while locked in the resort two new victims turn up.  It's the holidays and the resort is fully booked, how can Mason discover who the killer is without alarming the other guests?? Even though everyone was told not to share the information with anyone, someone did because there are new faces amongst the guests.  Once again Mason's decision from book one comes back to haunt him, and now he's scrambling to determine who could be cleaning up his mess from before. What is the motivation for this new killer??

Once confined to the resort, Mason starts to see the cracks in the facade of his family, his nephews aren't doing as well as he thought especially his oldest nephew who has taken to different ways to cope with the pain of his father's loss.  His sister in law doesn't appear to be doing so well either and isn't handling the loss of her husband and the difficulty she's having with her son too well. Mason has to juggle all of this while dealing with his difficult mother, and his relationship with Rachel and of course find out who is killing all these people before Rachel becomes the next victim.

As the story progresses and the youngest nephew gets on everyone's last nerve (including mine) little secrets get revealed; Rachel & Mason confront their feelings and they work towards unraveling the mystery. The story had a good balance between the whodunit and the romance. We really focused in on the whodunit as the mystery built and had a few red herrings as well. I certainly didn't peg the killer until the end a well.  I love stories like that because I'm looking back at the other scenes and going OMG that's what that meant or so that's why?? Yeah totally worked for me.  Mason's decision coming back to bite him the ass is just perfect. I know I shouldn't revel in it because I understand why he did it and I know the fallout would have been really rough, but now he's getting a glimpse of how deep this one goes and who else will get hit when it eventually does come out.

We got some more about his best friend/ partner and his partner's wife but considering this is supposed to be his best friend not as much as I was hoping. The story progresses quickly and once the crazy starts flying we don't stop until the killer is caught. There are so many moments when the secret almost tumbles out and you see how others begin to react and you just know it would have been worse before. Now Mason has to decide how to move forward with his family and Rachel. Rachel has to decide how to handle being in a relationship with Mason, adjust to having these visions and having her sight back as well. All without letting the world know she is a bigger cynic than they would believe.  And yes she's still gotta celebrate the holiday as well.

This story managed to bring you in and kept you hooked until the full reveal, and even then it's not as cut and dried as you would have believed.  Again we understand why they are doing what they did and the circumstances leading to it. I mean they are wrong but still, you can see what lead to their conclusion.

 ★★★★☆

Series In Order

• Sleep With The Lights On (Brown & De Luca 1) 
• Dream Of Danger 1.5

RECOMMENDATIONS

• Heather Graham Krewe of Hunters Series
• Lisa Jackson (Non-Paranormal) 
• Seized By Seduction by Brenda Jackson (Non-Paranormal but has Psychic protagonist) 

Happy Reading my loves, 

Snippet Book #Review: Dream of Danger (Brown & De Luca # 1.5) by Maggie Shayne .@maggieshayne .@HarlequinBooks

Book Title:  Dream of Danger (Brown & De Luca 1.5)
Author:  Maggie Shayne|Website| Twitter| Facebook| Instagram

Publisher: Harlequin MIRA

Genre: Romance, Paranormal Romance, Romantic Thriller
Series/Standalone: Books 1.5
Format: ebook

Cost: $7.99

Pages: 67

How I got it: Purchased 

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Publisher
Publication Date: November 01, 2013
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Synopsis:

She didn't want to need him.

Murder brought self-help guru Rachel de Luca and Detective Mason Brown together. Their shared secrets drove them apart. But now they're together again in this riveting novella that begins where New York Times bestselling author Maggie Shayne's Sleep with the Lights On ended.

She may have been blind for twenty years, but Rachel's always had an uncanny gift for seeing through people—and she distrusts her assistant's new boyfriend at first sight. Amy isn't interested in Rachel's misgivings, though. She's too eager to celebrate Thanksgiving by introducing her family to the new man in her life.

Then Amy doesn't show up for the holiday….

Desperate to find her missing friend, Rachel has no choice but to turn to Mason. Their investigation into Amy's disappearance takes them ever deeper into danger—and reignites the attraction that they've both sworn to resist. Now it's a race against time as these reluctant partners fight to stave off passion and save a life.

I snagged this one even though I wasn't reading the series yet, and I'm so glad I did. This picks up a few months after the events of book one.  Mason & Rachel have decided to give themselves some time to come to terms with what happened and also Rachel is new to having sight and wants to make sure she's really getting to know the 'new' her.

However, this new talent she's developed won't let her have some time. She senses when a friend is in grave danger and goes to Mason to get help. This is a brief story, really it's a chance to advance the narrative and give them a quick case to solve. Even though this isn't completely solved at the end. It's a way for Rachel and Mason to realize what was happening between them wasn't based on the case and it isn't going anywhere.  We also get the beginning of a new case and one that wasn't solved and you just know it's going to come back to haunt them as well.

I enjoyed this quick read and can't wait to see where the full case goes.

 ★★★☆☆

Series In Order

• Sleep With The Lights On (Brown & De Luca 1) 

RECOMMENDATIONS

• Heather Graham
• Lisa Jackson
• Julie Garwood ( not Paranormal but Romantic Suspense) 

I can't wait to see how this story fully develops.  What do you think is going to happen?? Happy Reading my loves, 

Book #Review: Sleep With The Lights On (Brown & De Luca # 1) by Maggie Shayne .@maggieshayne .@HarlequinBooks

Book Title: Sleep With The Lights On ( Brown & De Luca 1)
Author:  Maggie Shayne|Website| Twitter| Facebook| Instagram

Publisher:  Harlequin MIRA
Genre:  Romantic Thriller, Romance, Paranormal Romance
Series/Standalone: Book 1
Format: ebook, Mass Market

Cost: $4.99

Pages: 384

How I got it: Purchased

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound
Publication Date: August 13,  2013
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Synopsis:

Through the eyes of a killer...

Rachel de Luca has found incredible success writing self-help books. But her own blindness and the fact that her troubled brother has gone missing have convinced her that positive thinking is nothing but bull.

Her cynicism wavers when a cornea transplant restores her sight. The new eyes seem to give her new life, until they prove too good to be true and she starts seeing terrifying visions of brutal murders - crimes she soon learns are all too real.

Detective Mason Brown's own brother recently died, leaving behind a horrific secret. In atonement, Mason donated his brother's organs, though he's kept the fact quiet. Now he wants to help Rachel find her brother, but when he discovers the shocking connection between her visions and his own brother, he suddenly has to do everything in his power to save her from a predator who is somehow still hunting from beyond the grave.

This is a fantastic start to a new series that kept me engaged right up until the story ended.  The case drew you in and makes you wonder how the story is going to progress overall. All the main characters were well written, I mean we start the story with the serial killer in the process of hiding a body. Right from the get-go we knew the story was going to be wild.  We got to learn the motivation of all the characters as the story progressed and even though I understood why certain characters did what they did a good chunk of the shyt happening wouldn't have if they hadn't made the choices they did. Or you could say Fate would have stepped in anyway.  Either way, the story was so good.

I was fascinated by Rachel because she was a woman who was selling the idea of positivity like a drug but she refuses to believe it herself.  And as the story progresses and the changes come, her snark and the way she handles it all?? Just so good. While Rachel is one of my favorites, Mason really makes my heart hurt because I understood his motivations. He so badly wanted to protect his family from the fallout, yet his decision carries with it a lot of repercussions even he couldn't have foreseen. And you just know that somewhere down the line the other shoe is going to drop and when it does?!!! Shrapnel everywhere.  That moment in his apartment, when the instinct to protect overruling everything else?? That's a moment I can totally identify with.

Some of the secondary characters were well written a few were a bit one dimensional. We didn't focus on the outside people too much, just those within the case. I'm hoping as the series progresses we get more from them especially his partner. I haven't read a thriller in a while so having the book start with the POV of the killer?? Listen I was so hooked like my gawd this man is a trainwreck; which even he had to acknowledge and yet he couldn't stop.  When we go from him to Rachel and she's so normal that it's jarring to realize how far gone the killer is. As we progress we get Mason's side as well and between the three we get one hell of a story, as each character shares more from their perspective that enhances the story and I was just hooked.  Sadly as with any of these books, the plot was way too believable especially because serial killers seem to abound on the ID channel. It was all too real from Mason's choices and actions to what the killers did (even if their motivations didn't always add up).

As a first book in the series, it established really well how Mason and Rachel become a team and why it was necessary; while laying the groundwork for the other books to come.  The central case was the killer being identified (and that was easy, as we the reader knew who it was from the beginning, but the rest?? yeah that took a while) but how do you stop a killer who is supposed to be dead?? How do you accept the knowledge you now have?? How do you undo your mistake?? How do you protect the innocent without there being fallout for everyone?? While we knew the killer would have to be apprehended the ending was still very suspenseful and unpredictable. At least I didn't see all the twists that were coming but they didn't feel too far out from the plot so yeah, I was addicted to the very end.

I gotta say as a person who will eventually have to have the surgery Rachel had, I liked that Maggie didn't try to go too hard on the medical information but shared just enough so you knew what was happening. ( Also this is my wheelhouse and I hate when authors don't get it right, just share just enough to be believable but not enough for me to get annoyed when you get it crazy wrong).  My favorite scene is when post-surgery Rachel kinda freaks out but still tries to be 'strong' while quietly losing it on the inside. I also loved whenever Rachel talked because she constantly challenges Mason but at the same time is learning about herself now as a sighted woman.  Her snarky side has to be one of the reasons I love her, the other reasons are her family, she had an amazing relationship with her sister which I could totally relate to.

There are so many good moments in the book that made me marathon read it. I am however forever and always going to side-eye Mason for his choice, I mean I understand as there isn't anything I also wouldn't do for family, but being who is?? Way too many of his real-life counterparts make those choices and they aren't always for the altruistic reasons he did it.

I also liked (even though normally I wouldn't) that this was a slow burn romance, the story focuses more on the development of the case and the characters the romance takes a backseat (as it should as we are trying to survive here) and yet it still flavored their interactions and when they finally give in??? Awesome!! Must read the next ones immediately!!

 ★★★★☆

RECOMMENDATIONS

• Lisa Jackson
• Heather Graham
• Julie Garwood ( No paranormal slant but the Romantic Suspense) 

Have you read this series my loves?? Or can you recommend a few more like this??
Happy Reading my loves, 

Book #Review: Shadow Blade (Shadowchaser 1) by Seressia Glass

Book Title: Shadow Blade ( Shadowchaser 1)
Author:  Seressia Glass |Website| Twitter| Facebook| 

Publisher: Pocket Books
Genre: Romantic Suspense, Urban Fantasy,
Series/Standalone: Book 1
Format: ebook

Cost: $0.99

Pages: 344

How I got it: Scribd Subscription 

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Publisher
Publication Date: January 06, 2010
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Synopsis:

For Kira Solomon, normal was never an option.

Kira’s day job as an antiquities expert, but her true calling is as a Shadowchaser. Trained from youth to be one of the most lethal Chasers in existence, Kira serves the Gilead Commission dispatching the Fallen who sow discord and chaos. Of course, sometimes Gilead bureaucracy is as much a thorn in her side as anything the Fallen can muster against her. Right now, though, she’s got a bigger problem. Someone is turning the city of Atlanta upside-down in search of a four-millennia-old Egyptian dagger that just happens to have fallen into Kira’s hands.

Then there’s Khefar, the dagger’s true owner-a near-immortal 4000-year-old Nubian warrior who, Kira has to admit, looks pretty fine for his age. Joining forces is the only way to keep the weapon safe from the sinister Shadow force, but now Kira is in deep with someone who holds more secrets than she does, the one person who knows just how treacherous this fight is. Because every step closer to destroying the enemy is a step closer to losing herself to Shadow forever. . . .

I absolutely fell in love with this series and it all started with this one. Told from the perspective of Kira Solomon a trained Egyptologist who has an extra sense, when she touches things she can learn it's entire history. Kira is a trained Shadowchaser, whose job it is to help the Light battle Shadow and keep objects of power from causing trouble among the mundane world.  I had picked this book up due to it being blurbed by LA Banks (one of my all-time favorite authors), and to know she liked it meant it would be right up my alley. It's a book featuring black women kicking ass, taking names, being the heroine and also with powers. Other than LA Banks I hadn't read a book that included all of this and I'm so glad I finally got to the series.

There are plenty of books on the market featuring women who have a sacred duty to help keep the balance between Light and Shadow but I haven't read any that used the Egyptian pantheon as the basis instead of Judeo Christian beliefs; while I love LA Banks for her inclusive series even hers relied on Christianity as it's main basis for the battle of "good vs bad" . This has no Judeo Christian beliefs at all, it's all West African, Egyptian, and Nubian lore, myths, and pantheon.

There are so many great reasons to love the story, let's start with some amazing characters including a West African God, it took me a few pages to figure out who he was and when I did I loved it. He became one of my favorite characters throughout the book (and the series).  Kira is also one of my favorites because, despite all the reasons she should collapse beneath the weight of her burden, she refuses to, and she's having a bit of fun while doing it. Then we get introduced to the Immortal Warrior and he is just everything awesome. I mean the reason he's nearly indestructible sucks and how he came to have his powers isn't a great thing but this helps to make him a great helpmate and team member for Kira.

This is a fantastic start of a new series that includes the groundwork without dumping the information. makes characters relatable while being different enough to make the story engaging.  The world-building, the writing, the plot were all five stars for me. From the very beginning, I was hooked into knowing all about Kira and her abilities and how they would impact her world and her work.  Secondary characters were well fleshed out and engaging enough that you wanted to know more about them as well. I laughed so hard once I figured out who the older gentleman was, I kept picturing him as he is portrayed in American Gods the show. The Nubian/ Immortal Warrior was an interesting and intriguing character, just to know he had witnessed all of that history and those civilizations come and go. I can't wait to find out more about him.

While the story of Kira's struggle to find acceptance with her powers while never being able to get or give a hug ( like oh my gawd that must be so hard). it's her job as a Shadowchaser that brings trouble to her doors. Facing the different shadows and their minions is one thing, taking on the big bad that she has to?? Considering almost no one ever survives?? Fighting the urge to take a blade that is sentient and wants a new master?? The changing of her gifts and her understanding of them?? All while trying to navigate basic human interactions with friends. While there is the potential for a love match this is a slow burn and the battle and the cases take up a good chunk of the story, while the budding romance weaves between without distracting from the main plot. I who normally would hate a story without romance blatantly being all up and through it ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT.

The action kept flowing; the battles were waged and the lines between Shadow and Light are being re-drawn, where will Kira land when it does?? I loved every second of the journey of reading this and ended up marathoning the rest of the series as well. I highly recommend it my loves,

 ★★★★★

RECOMMENDATIONS

• L.A. Banks Vampire Huntress Series 

Happy Reading my loves, 

Book #Review: A Man's Promise (Grangers 2) by Brenda Jackson

Book Title: A Man's Promise (Granger 2)
Author:  Brenda Jackson| Website| Twitter| Facebook
Publisher: Harlequin MIRA

Genre: Romance, African American Romance, Romantic Suspense
Series/Standalone:  Book 2
Format: Mass Market, ebook

Cost: $6.99

Pages: 400

How I got it: Purchased/ ARC via NetGalley

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound
Publication Date: May 27, 2014
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Synopsis:

A man's word is his bond. His family is his strength. His heart is his own.

Superstar musician Caden Granger has spent years running from love, commitment and family. Yet despite his fame and fortune, he knows the kind of respect and adoration he needs can only come from one person—the very woman who wants nothing to do with him.

Charity volunteer and owner of a wine boutique, Shiloh Timmons finally got her life on track once her relationship with Caden ended, and she's in no hurry to revisit a romance with the man who believes she left him standing at the altar.

If Caden can't have Shiloh by his side, all the success in the world will mean nothing. Now he has a chance to renew his promises…but is it too late?

I jumped right into this one after reading the first book in the series, because there was such a good cliffhanger I needed to know what happened next, where the mystery was going to take us. I'm going to say right off the bat that this one suffered severely from "second book syndrome'.  With the book attempting to share the story from before and carry the plot forward, I didn't feel like we got to know the main characters as well as we should have.

We're supposed to be learning the story of the second brother who is a successful musician who suffered a serious heartbreak several years ago when we realized why and who helped to perpetuate the lies it was horrible. I felt for the characters and the unnecessary pain they had felt. I didn't like how it felt that things were kind of glossed over.  Shiloh Timmons grew up with the Granger boys and has always loved Caden, when her father forbade her to talk to him or associate with his brothers she found ways to lend her support even if she couldn't do it publically.  When she is dealt a tragic blow and Caden fails to be there for her or to give her the support she needs later she takes her broken heart and finds ways to move on.  Time doesn't heal all wounds however long you give it. When she moves back home and discovers that Caden is now home she plans to avoid him at all costs. When they talk one night and it's met with a near tragedy they both find themselves re-evaluating what they thought was important.

As they begin to explore their renewed relationship enemies gather to find a way to stop them, those who should be in their corner start to protest and unlikely allies abound. The overall mystery of who is gunning for the Granger clan just gets deeper as the story progresses. Even though each book gives us a bit of mystery that is resolved by the end the overall mystery and the key players are being moved around the chess board with a very different game in mind, and reading you see some of the clues but not enough to completely guess what is going on.

Where the first book took it's time to lay the foundation of the entire series while giving us a good romance and served great mystery, this spent way too much time bouncing between too many POVs and rehashing what happened in book one. Now I know they need to write the stories in a way that shares enough so the reader doesn't feel disconnected, but my gawd this wasn't it.  There were several POVs much like the first one, but this one was seriously jumbled, while it served the overall story in sharing what was happening in all the other characters lives it didn't serve the main couple because they got lost in the story.

It's a second chance romance and while it relied on them rehashing what happened all those years ago and them trying to find their way back to each other, we didn't get the building of their romance like I would have liked. It was exceedingly fast-tracked so that the rest of the story could be told. I didn't feel the connection to the characters that I did the first story. We were more told than allowed to see who the main characters were and then when things happened to them you didn't feel the impact the way you should have because the connect wasn't there. I was way more invested in the secondary characters and what they had going on for them than the 'main couple'.

We get the progression of Shana's fathers romance with Mona which is sweet to read, but why is he getting as much screentime as Caden and Shiloh?? It just confused me at bits because the transitions from character to character wasn't always clear.  I loved the story that was being told and I really enjoyed the mystery, but I wished more of the romance we were getting was Caden's and Shiloh's instead of the other characters and their progression towards romance.  Overall the mystery kept me glued to the pages but I wanted a bit more of the romance. I am definitely diving into the third book so I can know what is happening because the Grangers seem to have enemies crawling out the woodwork.

 ★★★☆☆

RECOMMENDATIONS

• A Brother's Honor (Granger 1) by Brenda Jackson
• Detroit/ NIA Series by Beverly Jenkins

Soundtrack Recommendations

• What If I Never Get Over You by Lady Antebellum (General theme as they try to figure it all out)
• Sandcastles by Beyonce' (For their history together)
• All Night by Beyonce' (As they move on and build)

Happy Reading my loves,