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
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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
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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, 

ARC Book #Review: Seducing Janey ( Liberty Crossroads # 1) by Sherri Hayes .@Sherri_Hayes

Book Title: Seducing Janey ( Liberty Crossroads Book 1)
Author:  Sherri Hayes |Website| Twitter| Facebook| Pinterest

Publisher: Sherri Hayes
Genre: Romantic Suspense, Romance
Series/Standalone: Book 1
Format: ebook

Cost: $4.99

Pages: 263

How I got it: Author 

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble |
Publication Date: December 10, 2019
Add To Goodreads
Synopsis:

Can he keep his hands off her long enough to catch a killer?

Detective Janey Davis is trying to find a killer. When another body turns up outside the small town of Liberty, Indiana, she’s sent to investigate. Nothing prepares her for what she finds there...and it has nothing to do with the case she’s working on. It’s the deputy who’s been assigned to tag along on her investigation.

Kyle Reed has been a sheriff’s deputy since returning from the Army ten years ago. He loves his job and the small town of Liberty, which is why he’s determined to help Detective Davis find out who murdered a man and dumped his body on the side of a country road. What he wasn’t prepared for was the undeniable chemistry between them.

After convincing her to attend a get-together with him at a friend’s farm, Kyle and Janey give in to their passion. The problem is, he doesn’t want just one night. Can he convince her to give a relationship between them a chance?

When I got the email from Sherri asking if I wanted to read this I literally sat there staring for a while before I reminded myself I have to give an answer to be able to get the book. As much as sitting in the seat nodding my head made me feel good, Sherri wouldn't be able to see that and know I wanted it. Then when the book came through?? I danced a little because clearly, she meant to actually send little ole me a review request. It wasn't an accident. (Now that the dramatics are out of the way let's talk about the book).

Once I got the book I went right into it. It took me way too long to realize that the Paul mentioned in the book was actually Paul Daniels from the Daniel Brothers series and that's not Sherri's fault I just didn't connect it for whatever reason and when it finally did I laughed and loved this even more. Janey gets sent to a small town a few hours outside of her jurisdiction in hopes of finding out if the recently discovered body had anything to do with their most recent case.  When she gets there her liaison is Kyle and my gawd is the man fine, he creates a buzz for her and she's hoping she's not giving it all away because she doesn't want to appear unprofessional.  The second Kyle is introduced to the officer from Indy he's attracted but he's here to do a job and he's going to keep it together damn it.

This was a great blend of romance and romantic suspense. There are moments that the investigation isn't going anywhere while they wait on the results from others that the investigation kind of gets pushed to the back and the romance comes forward, but they keep moving each other forward.  With the recent discovery of the bodies, and the lack of evidence they are working with very little in an attempt to discover who killed these men, who they were and why they had been dumped the way they were.  It takes a while but Kyle and Janey hit it off and when she's in his small town Kyle makes his move and suddenly they are working on the chemistry between them.  Once they realize they have nothing else to go on Janey heads home; not long after she's there another body is discovered in another town. Then a small clue gives them a chance to begin unraveling the mystery, meanwhile, the two cops have to figure out if they want more as well.

I loved  Janey as she felt so real, being nervous and yet excited when she made the leap. Kyle was pretty good as well, being vulnerable and yet being the one to take the bulls by the horns when he needed to, he knew from the start Janey was going to be more and he wasn't afraid to pursue it. They had some serious chemistry and yet that didn't stop them from having serious conversations as well, they talked and that was awesome to see characters work at it and acknowledge the difficulties they might have to face if they pursued this, especially with one of them being gun shy.

The mystery of the dead bodies did take a bit to solve, but that time gave Janey and Kyle plenty of time to work together. When it all starts to unravel?? Well until the end I was like ok maybe ok nope didn't see that one coming, ohhhhh girl what??? How did y'all think that would work out?? Yes, I talk to my books while reading.  It was a good ending, even if I thought the perpetrator clearly didn't think things all the way through.  Those moments with Janey & Kyle facing them?? Yeah, I felt the adrenaline with Janey. Yikes.

I enjoyed myself and especially loved the relationship that Janey and Paul had, he was a great partner and because he was he treated her like family.   Janey's life was full she had great friends, a job she loved and a place she totally enjoyed living in, so Kyle didn't rescue her, but he helped to give her life a little more.  Kyle also had a pretty good network of friends and family, having moved back to his small hometown. I loved his relationship with his sister even if he's trying to be willfully blind.  His relationship with his nephew is so sweet.

I'm looking forward to reading the other romances in this small town as it's shaping up to be awesome. We got glimpses of what I believe are at least two more?? Not sure we'll stalk Sherri's website and see over the next few weeks.  I liked that it didn't all neatly wrap up, she left a few threads to be tugged into the other stories and gave us glimpses of some of the town as well. I'm looking forward to the journey back.  I was in a bit of a slump before reading this and it helped to pull me out; now I'm addicted to reading all the romantic suspense on my shelves. 

 ★★★★☆

Series In Order

• Seducing Janey 

RECOMMENDATIONS

• The Daniel Brothers Series by Sherri Hayes
• Brenda Jackson Catalina Cove Series

Happy Reading my loves, 

Book #Review: Seized by Seduction (The Protectors 2) by Brenda Jackson

Book Title: Seized By Seduction ( The Protectors 2)
Author:  Brenda Jackson| Website| Twitter| Facebook
Publisher: HQN Books

Genre: Romantic Thriller, Romantic Suspense
Series/Standalone: Book 2
Format: ebook, mass market

Cost: $5.99

Pages: 400

How I got it: Purchased 

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound
Publication Date: April 25th, 2017
Add To Goodreads
Synopsis:

One glance is all it takes

From the moment his eyes meet hers across the crime-scene tape, ex-con turned bodyguard Quasar Patterson knows he has to see the mysterious Dr. Randi Fuller again. She's a renowned psychic investigator who can foresee danger for others, but not for herself. That makes Quasar doubly determined to watch over her—the closer, the better—as she's drawn into a dangerous gang rivalry.

Both her psychic gift and their blinding chemistry tell Randi that she and Quasar are fated to be entwined. Even as they surrender to the heat between them, there's no guarantee of a happily-ever-after now that an enemy has her in his sights. And claiming a future will take more than Quasar's strength and skill. If he can't risk the heart he's always held in check, they'll both lose for good…

I actually listened to the audio of this book and anything Ron reads I'm going to be listening to, my gawd that man's voice is everything. Just amazing.

I absolutely loved this one. Quasar was one of my favorite guys from the trio once we were introduced to them. He's funny and hell bent on making a life for himself that doesn't diminish his past but also isn't built around it either.  Having made changes while in prison and having created the beginnings of a new family for himself he isn't afraid of love so much as not willing to give his heart again after his last betrayal.  Randi herself has dealt with people doubting her abilities for as long as she has had them, she herself hadn't wanted the gift she was being given but when she's made to take the time to learn more about her gift and herself she comes out of the crisis a better woman, a woman who knows who she is and what she wants from her life.

These two met because of Randi's involvement with the case in Forged in Desire.  Her skills helped to save the life of a few people and helped bring the case to somewhat of a close. Having had a vision that she and the two other women she met on the case would one day be close she's not surprised when she realizes that will happen because of Quaser. Unlike him she's aware that they are fated to be together but she must allow Quasar the time he needs to come to the same conclusion and she must let the path they are on play out on it's own, she can't influence him or they won't end up together. (Talk about pressure) They have instant chemistry and Randi knows she has to deal with this the right way for her to end up with the love of a lifetime, but Quasar has to want it too, and for now he's only seeking to find out how deep this attraction goes.  Unlike most people she meets Randi can't read Quasar and this means he's a mystery to her.

I loved the way this unfolded. I loved that she was psychic because we don't often see black psychics in romantic thrillers/ suspense. I was so excited to read this story and loved it all the way to the end. I yelled at the book, talk back to the book, and had to fan myself a few times. This was one hell of a roller coaster of a ride. Every time I thought "nah, it really can't be that bad, maybe he misconstrued...oh.. wait .. nah he right they trash"  I was so addicted to seeing he common threads which tied back to the Granger series as well.  The criminals in this were savvy and went even deeper than anyone believed. Cases from years before became even more interconnected and we learned just how far some will go to line their pockets.

Randi is also a behavioral psychologist so she's not just relying on her gift to help her solve the crimes and this makes her even more dangerous to some. Called out to help with a potential gang war, Randi walks into the middle of a conspiracy with deeper ties than anyone is aware of.  Quasar follows Randi out there under the guise of seeing his family because his dad is insisting that they all need to come together around his brother who is announcing his candidacy for office.  Quasar would rather eat rusty nails but he goes because he's not willing to leave Randi unprotected, something in him tells him she's going to need him.  While there and getting to know her he's realizing this woman is even more different than he previously realized and this doesn't just intrigue him it makes him want to unravel the puzzle that is her.  There is so much that happens to make this one hell of a story, from the past unraveling for Quasar, to Randi understanding the depth of her talents. I just couldn't believe how much happened.

While working the case and getting to know each other they take on their pasts, challenge each other and of course rock each other's worlds. I loved every second of it.  I found myself hooked to the very last page, just dying to know and then very satisfied with the ending.  I highly recommend my loves, especially if you love a little paranormal in your mystery thriller.

 ★★★★☆

Series In Order

• Forged By Desire
• Seized By Seduction
• Locked in Temptation 

RECOMMENDATIONS

• Maggie Shayne Brown & Deluca Series 

Happy Reading my loves, 

Book #Review: Girl Blue ( Brown & De Luca 5) by Maggie Shayne .@maggieshayne

Book Title: Girl Blue ( Brown & De Luca 5)
Author:  Maggie Shayne|Website| Twitter| Facebook| Instagram
Publisher: Thunderfoot

Genre: Romantic Thriller, Romance, Paranormal
Series/Standalone: Book 5
Format: ebook, Mass Market

Cost: $5.99

Pages: 272
How I got it: Purchased

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Publisher
Publication Date: October 29th, 2019
Add To Goodreads
Synopsis:

GIRL BLUE

So, I’m going along in my blissful life, waiting for my guy to get off his ass and pop the question and trying to put my next self-help book to bed, when I’m interrupted by a mental intruder. I’m suddenly doing a ride-along inside some stranger’s head, while the attached set of hands strangle a guy in the back seat of a car.

It felt like I was killing the guy. But I didn’t, because I woke up cussing (not unusual) in my own bed beside my sexy cop and my blind bulldog. Said sexy cop then gets a text about a body, and I know it’s the man I just sort of murdered.

Turns out Mister Picture-Wire Necktie isn’t the only victim. One of the others was punched in the face by our 19 year-old sort of kid in front of 20 witnesses right before he vanished. Jeremy is brought in for questioning by Mason’s own co-cops.

The only other suspects are a woman who beams sweetness and light like a freakin’ earthbound angel, and an old horror movie star who’s supposed to be dead. And if those two are murderers, I’m Miz Manners.

Mason wants them to be guilty because it would clear Jeremy. He thinks I’m keeping things from him, which I am. He thinks I’m not putting Jeremy first, which I totally am. This whole thing is getting between us. So I’ve gotta solve it, fast.

Even if it means going face-to-face with a serial killer.

But the vigilante is more broken than I bargained for, and is determined to silence me. Permanently.

**Trigger Warnings for those who need them: Discussion of childhood sexual abuse ***

I really enjoyed going back into the Rachel De Luca world because she is such a fun character to get to know. Rachel is focused on moving her family into their new home, getting her office setup and hopefully getting Mason to move this relationship to the next level. When a nightmare wakes her, this one she's scared to discuss with Mason when he gets the call to go where a new body has been found.  They are jsut starting to get over what happened when Josh's friend went missing and now they are looking for a killer.

As the story develops we re-visit a story that L have loved for years The Gingerbread Man, which is a haunting romantic thriller, about missing children and a child predator. To this day that story haunts me, so it was good to see old friends again even if it meant dragging their story out into the light. Rachel is still trying to get a handle on her new ability to tap into the NFP knowing she has going on when she ends up meeting Lily Newman. As she digs deeper into how her gift is working now she accidentally uncovers a small mystery.

It appears a serial killer is on the loose and no one can figure out what the victims have in common. Until one of the men disappear, he just happens to be Jeremy's professor who called him a liar and Jeremy reacted by punching him in the nose. Now Jeremy is a suspect and Mason is losing it. He's trying to find a way to get Jeremy from under suspicion while finding the killer responsible before the missing man becomes a victim. Rachel is feeling the pressure to perform and quickly.

As the story unfolds, Mason and Rachel find themselves moving slightly out of sync. Mason is aware Rachel tried to lie to him, and now he's wondering what it is about this case that her covering for someone who could clear Jeremy. Rachel knows what she has seen can't be admitted into court and while she's never willing to risk her new family in this one case she's willing to bend the truth to protect Mason. Jeremy is starting to ask questions that Mason can't answer and it's all coming out and Mason is struggling.

It's awesome reading them struggling with getting it right as parents and lovers. They are in sync most of the time and this case, and what's happening with Jeremy is throwing them for a loop. They never seemed to have the growing pains of most relationships, but now they are working on it. I loved the tension between them forced them to get real clear about what they were looking for. I loved how they handled the growing pains they were having as a family as well with Jeremy admitting he was struggling with everything. They felt so real compared to how characters can be written sometimes. I loved that Rachel could turn to her sister when she needed advice but at the end relied on what she knew about Mason to help her make the right call for them.

The whodunit part of the story was well done and when it all was revealed I was like "holy hell". I knew based on what happened to Lily that it would have to do with child abuse but to realize how far some would go to try to 'cure' themselves made me sad. And yet I wanted to know like how could someone go that far in life and not realize that their plan wouldn't work?? Then I realize it's a human failing and was kind of thrown when she mentioned that the medallions were given to certain people and wondered if they all knew what had happened to them.  Then I wondered if the woman realized that she was just as bad as those she condemned?? I just was so addicted that I finished the story in one day.

I highly recommend the story my loves, especially because we get an update on previous characters that we love. I love that they didn't have a perfect life but a good realistic one even all these years later.

 ★★★★☆

Series In Order

• Sleep With The Lights On (Brown & De Luca 1) 
• Dream of Danger 1.5
• Wake To Darkness 2
• Innocent Prey 3
• Deadly Obsession 4
• Cry Wolf 4.5

RECOMMENDATIONS

• Lisa Jackson
• Heather Graham

Happy Reading my loves, 

Book #Review: Cry Wolf (Brown & De Luca 4.5) by Maggie Shayne .@maggieshayne

Book Title:  Cry Wolf ( Brown & De Luca 4.5)
Author:  Maggie Shayne |Website| Twitter| Facebook| Instagram
Publisher: Thunderfoot

Genre: Romantic Thriller, Romance, Paranormal
Series/Standalone: Book 4.5
Format: ebook, Mass Market

Cost: $0.00

Pages: 105
How I got it: Kindle Purchase

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Publisher
Publication Date: March 19, 2019
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Synopsis:

Hey, I’m Rachel and just so you know up front, I’ve got a mouth on me. Not in public–when I can help it. Cussing is bad for the image of a bona fide guru of self-help, or that which I call “the bullsh*t I write.”

Only, I’m not so sure it’s bullsh*t, because in trying it out, I got my eyesight back after 20 years. Yeah, the corneal tissue came from a serial killer, and yeah, I started seeing his crimes. But still, eyesight.

I also have the hottest detective in the universe attached to my proverbial–and, okay, wider than I’d like–hip. I got his 2 nephews with the package and I couldn’t fu–freaking love Jeremy and Josh more if I was their mother, which I’m way too young to be.

That’s a lie, Rache. They’re twelve and eighteen. You’re thirty–

Don’t interrupt, Inner B*tch, I’m on a roll.

I also have my amazing bulldog, Myrtle. I understand her. She’s blind like I used to be.

And I got a little something extra with my cornea transplant. “It’s a blessing and a curse,” said the greatest TV detective ever.

Only my something extra was…let’s say down. And one of Josh’s sixth-going-into-seventh-grade pals has been kidnapped. The sick prick snatched him off his bicycle and left a note behind. “Wait for instructions.” Only none ever came.

What a time for my antennae to be out of whack!

So my wires are down, there’s a kid missing, I’m bathing in my pity pool, and things get even worse. A big celebrity psychic shows up to help the cops find the missing kid. In my town.

Yeah. No.

So there’s all that. But I’m out of room, so…just get the book, and I’ll tell you the rest.

NOTE: This is a 25,000-word novella. There will be a new Brown and de Luca Novel, GIRL BLUE later in 2019.

This is another of the quick stories that movies the overall story ahead while giving us a brief case to solve and letting us know more about Rachel & Mason.  In this one Rachel and Mason are still rebuilding their home after the events of Deadly Obsession and living in an RV with the boys. It starts off at a local carnival with Josh hanging with his friends and having a blast.  When it's time to head to home Jeremy who is heading off to college soon comes to get him with his new badass car. Events lead to them heading away from home and on the way there discover that one of the boys from the group has been taken.

The events play out and a well known psychic is brought in to find the boy which pisses Rachel off to no end; as she is feeling blocked in her NFP and is wondering if it's left her. There is a lot of growth that happens here for Rachel and I really enjoyed her realizing that not appreciating a talent can destroy it just as easily as if you actually physically destroyed it. Rachel is determined to prove that the psychic is a fraud and help find the kidnapped boy. Rachel hates the word 'psychic' and hates that the woman seems to be getting things right, while her "Not Fucking Psychic" knowing seems to be blocked. She's not jealous of the woman she just hates people who take advantage of the vulnerable and she's going to prove this woman is a scam.  While she's not a fan of the psychic once she has a discussion she's given an idea of how to cultivate it and is shocked when it actually works.

How does Rachel balance her need to prove this woman wrong when it seems like her talents are being proven correct while Rachel herself is struggling to accept her gift and get it to work again.  For a novella it packed a bit in and I loved it. I liked Rachel's progression and the discussion of therapy for the boys. It's good to see them coming together as a family.

I highly recommend it, normally I used to skip the novellas while reading a series, now that authors are sharing such good tidbits in between and letting it move the series forward I'm not skipping anymore.

 ★★★☆☆

Series In Order

• Sleep With The Lights On (Brown & De Luca 1) 
• Dream of Danger 1.5
• Wake To Darkness 2
• Innocent Prey 3
• Deadly Obsession 4

RECOMMENDATIONS

• Heather Graham Krewe of Hunters series
• Lisa Jackson 

Happy Reading my loves, 

Book #Review: Deadly Obsession (Brown & De Luca # 4) by Maggie Shayne .@maggieshayne .@HarlequinBooks

Book Title:  Deadly Obsession ( Brown & De Luca 4)
Author:  Maggie Shayne|Website| Twitter| Facebook| Instagram
Publisher: Harlequin MIRA

Genre: Romantic Thriller, Romance, Paranormal
Series/Standalone: Book 4
Format: ebook, Mass Market

Cost: $4.99

Pages: 400

How I got it: Purchased

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Publisher
Publication Date: November 25, 2014
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Synopsis:

A cold-blooded killer with a burning obsession…

Rachel de Luca has a bad feeling about the new woman in Detective Mason Brown's life, the nurse taking care of him after he's injured in the line of duty. She'd like to think it's just jealousy, but intuition tells her it's something more, maybe something dangerous.

Mason knows Rachel's wary of commitment, and asking her to stay when he's in this condition would be the worst thing for their relationship. Then they receive chilling news that drives everything else from their minds.

Mason's psychotic sister-in-law has escaped from custody, putting her sons — the nephews he's raising — in the crosshairs. When his house is burned to the ground, he and Rachel are relieved that there are no bodies in the smoldering rubble, but now his nephews are missing and the clock is ticking.

As Mason and Rachel try to find the boys, she senses a new and unexpected danger stalking them. Soon, everyone close to Mason is in deadly peril — Rachel more than anyone….

While going on a date with Rachel, Mason happens upon a home on fire, when the neighbors mention they didn't see the family leave and that children lived there he runs in to rescue them.  This is a clarifying moment for Rachel because it makes her realize that she could lose him to his long before she could lose him because they don't suit ( which isn't true since they are perfectly suited)  but relationship fears aren't rational they just are. His heroism is caught on camera and reported in a glowing news report, which incidentally the firebug who started the fire sees and decides that Mason is the one for them. They are tired of being put as second best when the person they chose as a partner returns to their partners ( because oyu know getting with a cheater is how you guarantee your relationship..what a dumbass).

Mason is slightly injured and the Dr wants him to have visiting nurse services, which gives the firebug an in. Delusion thy name is this dumbass. They haven't even met Mason yet and is already spinning fantasies about killing everyone in his life so he will fall for them. I just. Really??? Form the getgo we know who the crazy is and we get insight into their lives and why they are doing it, for me this ratcheted up the tension because I kept screaming at my book, How doesn't Mason see the crazy gleam in their eyes??  Every time the villain would have been in a room with Rachel they found a way out so that Rachel couldn't read them.

This was a fantastic read and I flew through this one as well. Told in alternating perspectives, we get the crazy insights, Rachel's insights as she tries to navigate the new knowledge she has of her full feelings for Mason, and Mason as he goes through the case of the arson. While this going on it's time for his oldest ne[hew to graduate high school, due to the case from the last book a family member is in an institution and when the incidents involving them escalate they believe it's the family member who has escaped.  The family member escaped because the arsonist wanted to be able to blame someone else when they committed their crimes and this would work perfectly. Except despite having a mental breakdown the family member is all about protecting the family and even if they can't express that to everyone they still do their best to protect everyone.

This is perhaps the most amount of characters POV we have gotten from these books and it all worked well. It flowed together well. The last book ended a case but left some overall questions especially with Mason's comments to Rachel, who of course is now running scared until that night and now she's trying to navigate it all.  I loved the young love we're getting from her niece and his nephew, and how practical this twin is. It's pretty good actually how refreshing the kids are in this story, especially after the events of the last book.

Of course, Rachel is full of snark and sass throughout the whole story and I love the way she and mason interact with each other. I love her sister and their relationship. I also love how her friendship with Abby, her assistant who is great at making her see reason. They are amazing together.  This one flew by really quickly and I enjoyed myself the entire time.

 ★★★★☆

Series In Order

• Sleep With The Lights On (Brown & De Luca 1) 
• Dream of Danger 1.5
• Wake To Darkness 2
• Innocent Prey 3

RECOMMENDATIONS

• Krewe of Hunters Heather Graham
• The Protectors Series Brenda Jackson 

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
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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
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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,