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, 

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, 

ARC Book #Review: Red Zone by Sherri Hayes

Book Title: Red Zone (Daniel Brothers 2)
Author: Sherri Hayes |Website| Twitter| Facebook|

Publisher: Smith Publicity
Genre: Romance
Series/Standalone: Series
Format: ebook

Cost: $4.99

Pages: 224

How I got it: NetGalley

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound
Publication Date: Jan 2013
Add To Goodreads
Synopsis:

The only thing Rebecca Carson ever wanted to do was join the FBI. Now, that was in danger because of a situation, of which she’d had little control. So when her ex-partner and mentor, Travis Hansen, calls and offers her an opportunity to help him with a job, she jumps at the chance. Gage Daniels has made a pretty good life for himself. As a professional football player, all he has to do is ask, and most things are made available to him. This includes women. A well timed smile is usually all it takes to attract the opposite sex, especially in Nashville. When a stalker threatens Gage, the team owner calls an old friend to help protect his star quarterback. Rebecca must work to protect Gage while staving off his advances. The last thing she wants is to be another notch on a hot shot athlete’s belt.

I actually read this book in order and enjoyed it.  This is a sports romance featuring a hot Footballer and a FBI agent who is assigned to him.  Gage isn't your typical footballer, having grown up in a tight family he's actually a decent guy, he hasn't let the fame get to him and he's funny, and decent, which is rarely written now when it comes to sports romance.  he isn't a manwhore although he does state he dates, but he's honest up front and doesn't court the kind of drama that a few real life players do.

I really enjoyed the conversations that Rebecca and Gage had, the way the verbally sparred and teased each other.  I really love the description of Gage's home which is where most of the story happens.  The layout and the decor and how it felt like home for them.  I loved that we had gotten a glimpse of it from his brother's perspective as well in the first book.  I loved that Rebecca as the hero in this story, she's the one who saves him, she's the one with the gun.

I really enjoyed the character development that Sherri put in.  Even though this was Rebecca's and Gage's story when they met up with the family each of the characters & their unique personalities shined through and I enjoyed myself in those scenes, including the most awkward moments of Rebecca's sister being introduced, wow I'm not sure I could forgive that moment. Talk about inserting a whole shoe department in your mouth bro.

Written from a dual POV the characters inner thoghts, fears, and ideas gave this story a depth only one POV wouldn't have.  As much as I enjoyed the story I kept saying to myself that in today's celebrity obsessed world there is no way some paparazzi wasn't stalking Gage for a story or behind the scenes shots and didn't get shots of what was happening when Gage wasn't around.  Their keeping things from him had the potential to be dangerous not just for him but for everyone around him as well.  I did notice a few minor plot threads that weren't really worked on and I'm hoping some will be picked up in the other books.

I really enjoyed the overall story, about love and the strength of family.  Gage's family and their closeness are a grounding force for him, and Rebecca's younger sister is the reason she's who she is.  I loved the flow of the story even though the mystery wasn't the strongest, it still kept me reading to find out because she didn't give a lot of clues about who the perpetrator was.

The thanksgiving trip is the turning point of this book for me I really loved them there and I can't wait to read all the other stories that were setup there and seeing more from the Daniels' brothers., Their mom is my favorite character because she's so cool and she reminds me so much of my mother,  s a sports romance I loved that the author didn't try to teach us the game while talking about the job that Gage had, like you wither know it or use google.

 ★★★1/2☆☆

RECOMMENDATIONS

• Buchanan Series by Julie Garwood
• Off Campus Series by Elle Kennedy

Happy Reading my loves, 

Erotic Book #Review: Honor Bound (Knights of the Boardroom) by .@JoeyWHill

Book Title: Honor Bound (Knights of the Boardsroom)
Author:  Joey W Hill |Website| Twitter| Facebook|

Publisher: Berkley
Genre: Erotic Romance
Series/Standalone: Series
Format: ebook

Cost: $2.99

Pages: 134

How I got it: Purchased

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Publisher
Publication Date: Feb 2013
Add To Goodreads
Synopsis:

Bestselling author Joey W. Hill reveals the erotic bond between a Master and the beautiful submissive who stole his heart. Recapturing their night of unparalleled passion won’t be easy—but love won’t be denied… Peter Winston is a successful business man and a captain in the National Guard. On the night before his second tour in Afghanistan, he and his partners at Kensington & Associates head out to enjoy an upscale BDSM club. While the evening begins with laughter and whiskey, it takes a sharp turn when Peter, a sexual Dominant, sets his eyes on a beautiful masked submissive… Army Sergeant Dana Smith doesn’t often seek the shelter of a man, but being Peter’s gives her a welcome sense of sanctuary. What begins as a night of fantastic pleasure becomes something they hope will never end. But duty calls, and it will be over a year before they can see each other again. And when they do, things have drastically changed. Severely injured in the line of duty, Dana has lost her sight and her will to live. But Peter doesn’t accept defeat in business, battle or love. With the talents of the other K&A males, he’ll set the stage for another special night for them, knowing that only a submissive’s willingness to trust her Master will bring her back to love and life again.

I have been having a great reading month and part of that is because of this story; I really loved this story.  The characters felt real, they had great conversations, I loved how down to earth they felt; & how genuine they seemed.  I loved how Peter and the group got along, how much like brothers they seemed from the way they ragged on each other to how they rallied to support him.

Dana to me felt very real, funny, sarcastic, scared but bold, she felt like a well written woman should. Even though she's suffered she's still pushing herself and in one perfect night she gets so much of what she wants. Dana meets the perfect Dom who like her is having one last night of fun before they go off to perform their duty in the military, it's very erotic, wet, and holy smokes are they hot together.

                                           "Well, seeing as I'm a captain, I outrank you."

I really loved how steamy & erotic their scene was, how intimate their moments leading up to the full scene and later on when we glimpse Peter's letter and see how they affect her, it's just awesome to read.

For me this book was very emotional, I knew I loved Peter in those first few moments when he came home and the guys were all there waiting in his home and his reaction was everything.  Also I laughed at his inner monologue when he first sees Dana and he truly has a raw moment of thought.  I personally enjoyed the fact that this was written kind of the way a black author would have written it, Dana is black, her blackness wasn't written in a way that made her exotic for being black, nor was it used to make fun of her in anyway. She's just black and a submissive and the fact that she's being doing this for a while are all that matters.  And I love everything about the fact that she's owned this part of herself for so long.

I, as a black woman who is going blind (eventually) can totally relate to Dana's sense of disillusionment.  So much of how we are can be tied to our self image and to know our grasp of the world will change based on the loss of one of our most important senses?? Especially as a woman that's scary to know you'll be even more vulnerable, and need to rely on humans being good to not end up in some deep shyt.  I loved when Peter challenged her and made her confront her ideas of who she as now and who she could be again.  He didn't cater to her and yet he still looked out for her and that was beautiful.

"If you're falling, trust me to catch you, Sergeant."

Their bond was amazingly beautiful to read, not because it seemed perfect but because it was flawed and messy and still perfect for them.  I couldn't get enough of their conversations and how much they connected.  I loved that as a Dom Peter was fierce but fair, and even though her decision was one made a service woman, she still disobeyed and he took her to task for it.  And even that was fun to read.

She was broken into a hundred pieces, and couldn't see to pick any of them up. But he could see every one of them. He would figure out how to bring them back together. Pressing his face into the side of her head, he squeezed his lids tight, not wanting to let unmanly tears fall when her screams became sobs, a keening wail of pain.

I really enjoyed this story especially because I read the finale in this series years ago and know how they all end up but it's good to read the small building blocks that make the great stories we have.  While I know this is fiction and therefore removed from the consequences of the real world and the ramifications of the decisions made. Can we still talk about the fact that Peter stole her?? Let's look at the from a historical perspective... don't look so good now does it.  It works in the scene and works for the story particularly because she doesn't protest beyond throwing a bitch fit for not getting her way, but she still goes with him because he challenged her ideas about herself and she wanted the parts he awakened back in her life.

 ★★★★★

Bring tissues because I shed a tear or two throughout the story because Joey *the author* must be paid in tears. Happy Reading my loves,