Audiobook #Review: An Honorable Seduction (Westmoreland Legacies Book 3) by Brenda Jackson

Book Title: An Honorable Seduction (Westmoreland Legacies # 3)
Author:  Brenda Jackson |Website| Twitter| Facebook|
Publisher: Harlequin Desire

Genre: Romance, Interracial Romance, Military Romance
Series/Standalone: Book 3
Format: Audiobook, Mass Market Paperback
Narrator: Brian Hutchison 

Audio Service: Scribd
Hours in Book: 4 hours 50 mins

Cost: $20.00

Pages: 224

How I got it: Purchased

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Publisher
Publication Date: May 08, 2018
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Synopsis:

This Navy SEAL is on a top-secret mission of seduction ...David Holloway is used to hard assignments. Now he faces his most difficult yet: cozying up to the soft curves of Swan Jamison. He wants to know the island beauty ... in every way. But romancing Swan as part of his SEAL team's mission tests his honor, even as his feelings become increasingly real. Soon he must make a choice: duty ... or desire? (

Overall:
A military romance with mystery, intrigue, international espionage and sexy times. Where do I sign up?? Plus it's linked to the Westmoreland family sagas?? Yes, please.

Narrator:
Brian Hutchison. This is the first time I've listened to anything read by him and I enjoyed his narration. The story flowed and he was able to make each character unique enough for a distinction between them and I was hooked because of how he read the story as well. Well done!!

Story:
I grabbed this recently after being at home due to recovering after emergency surgery.  I didn't feel the urge to read but wanted something to keep me occupied while I was stuck in the bed. I decided I didn't want anything with crazy plot lines I wanted some good loving and great family dynamics and I was so glad I snagged this one.

Told using dual perspectives, we have the story of Swan & David. David known as Flipper to his friends is a Navy SEAL who is due for a vacation and is instead given the option for a top-secret mission., this mission is being asked of him by the top brass who he really respects and he decides to take the mission.  Swan owns a boutique in her mother's hometown, where she not only sells unique designs she makes herself but also rents out part of her shop to a successful tattoo parlor. Unbeknownst to Swan, she's being investigated for her part in the selling of US intelligence secrets to the Chinese.

David gets to the island to investigate and is surprised that when he meets Swan in the flesh he's beyond attracted to her. He has to keep this professional not just because her Uncles are his Superior officers, but because he can't afford to be distracted on the mission.

As with all Brenda's books, the chemistry was off the charts and the couple were hilarious together. Both were being cautious, Swan because she had learned the harsh lessons of the past from her parents' marriage and how they were treated by their families. While her parents had a happy marriage after what happens to them Swan has made the choice to never date military and to be extremely cautious about interracial dating.  David is trying to stay focused, finish the mission prove that Swan is innocent and get out of this mission without compromising his honor.

I really loved the story and it kept me intrigued, because not only did we have the mystery of who was selling the secrets if it wasn't Swan. I loved how they talked about what dating would look like and how they went slowly because David recognized that Swan needed the time and space to re-evaluate what was once on her never list. They are so many characters who could have been the ones responsible and some I didn't expect. Once we began to unravel the mystery and more information began to come out I was deeply hooked.

I enjoyed the mystery the romance and the final chapters. I loved how Swan reacted because honestly #Same, and I loved how Flipper got around her fears.

I skipped reading in order like I have been for the rest of the Westmoreland series, so I could read this. I didn't know all the characters David was connected to so I missed that "ahh" aspect when you read a series to the current books. However I still enjoyed the book, it wasn't necessary to know all the background of the characters as there was a brief description when needed. I loved this one especially because Flipper has such good friends. Now I'm going backward to go read those books.

 ★★★★☆

RECOMMENDATIONS

• The Westmoreland series by Brenda Jackson
• The Protector Series by Brenda Jackson

Happy Reading my loves, 

Audiobook #Review: Tangled Threat by Heather Graham #TangledThreat #NetGalley

Book Title: Tangled Threat
Author:  Heather Graham |Website| Twitter| Facebook| Instagram

Publisher: Harlequin Intrigue
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Series/Standalone: Standalone
Format: Audiobook/ Mass Market
Narrator: Eva Kaminsky 

Audio Service: Hoopla (Library App)
Hours in Book: 5 Hours

Cost: $3.99

Pages: 256

How I got it: ARC From NetGalley & Pre-order from Amazon 

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound
Publication Date: August 20, 2019
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Synopsis:

Some things you can’t forget.

A body hanging from the infamous History Tree unraveled their teenage love. Now Maura Antrim is again tangled up with Brock McGovern. Twelve years later, they’re back where that murder occurred—where Brock had been arrested and then released, where Maura had run, too scared to stand by his side. But with two women missing, and Brock now an FBI agent, Maura is determined to help. Together, they’ll have to confront a threat that never died and see if their passion has withstood the test of time.

Overall:
As much as I love Heather, this was a very "meh" story. It just wasn't for me. I tried reading it as an ARC and wasn't hooked, then snagged a copy of the audio to listen to. While it flowed well, the story had too much history and not enough time spent on creating the tension in plot. There were supposed to be on the hunt for missing women and yet despite saying they were worried almost everyone seemed to just be blase' about it. Even a woman who would fit the description was a total idiot when being told to be careful.  The characters were supposed to be hot and heavy teens with their who lives figured out and when they deal with a tragedy it changes them and yet when they meet up again there is this absolutely no tension about how things were left, no resentment, no anger about how they were treated no hurt, just a easy acceptance without there being any tension one would expect, it just falls in so easy ( like way too easy).

Narrator: Eva Kaminsky

This is my first time with this narrator and she certainly tried to make the story flow well. Her inflections and narration helped to make the story much more interesting. When I expected something explosive it was truly based on the way she was reading the material, but when scenes fell flat it was because of the material.

Story:

For the first time in a long time with a Heather Graham book I was looking forward to the end and not because I wanted to get to the whole story, nope I just wanted it to end.  This is a second chance romance and I didn't feel like the characters were interesting, and with all the potential the story was boring.  There wasn't much chemistry, they barely talked and I don't know there wasn't any real tension about what her mother had done or how things were handled.  The build up of the locations and the way the history was being talked about I expected way more than we got.

I learned more about Florida's history and frankly very little of what we learned aided in the story. It wasn't until the last ten pages that the tension of the book even manifested. The villains and their motivation were very weak and I honestly just didn't care at the end. Someone can only be so dumb before you want them to be one of the people who goes missing.   The red herring we were giving would have been a better solution than the answer we were given.

When i started following along in the physical book and realized we were over half way through without the two star crossed lovers even really getting anytime alone I knew I was done.  Everyone was acting like him spending one night in jail was supposed to derail his life ( considering he never even saw the judge and no charges were pressed against him, and his family money and influence made sure he never faced any consequences, not sure how that was supposed to happen).  The idea that you loved someone so much that one night makes you turn away from them and neither of you show up to demand answers?? You followed your parents directive and made no attempt to reach out to the other person and then wondered why they didn't follow up???

For a couple that was supposed to be getting back together from a 12 year separation I didn't feel the heat of their relationship. they didn't really have any depth of feeling and While it only took 3 hours to listen to the story I wasn't hooked. When it ended I was like wait what that's it?? Where is the rest?? It felt unfinished.

 ★★★☆☆

RECOMMENDATIONS

• Heather Graham Krewe of Hunters series
• Sizzle Julie Garwood

Happy Reading my loves, 

Audiobook #Review: The Book of Life (All Souls Trilogy Book 3) by Deborah Harkness

Book Title: The Book Of Life ( All Souls Trilogy #3)
Author: Deborah Harkness |Website| Twitter| Facebook| Instagram

Publisher: Viking Adult

Genre: Paranormal Romance
Series/Standalone: Book 3

Format: Audiobook, Hardcover
Narrator: Jennifer Ikeda

Audio Service: Penguin Audio via RTB App
Hours in Book: 25

Cost: $38.95

Pages: 561

How I got it: BEA 2014/ Audio via RTB App

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Publisher
Publication Date: July 15th, 2014
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Synopsis:

The #1 New York Times bestselling series finale and sequel to A Discovery of Witches and Shadow of Night

Bringing the magic and suspense of the All Souls Trilogy to a deeply satisfying conclusion, this highly anticipated finale went straight to #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. In The Book of Life, Diana and Matthew time-travel back from Elizabethan London to make a dramatic return to the present—facing new crises and old enemies. At Matthew’s ancestral home, Sept-Tours, they reunite with the beloved cast of characters from A Discovery of Witches—with one significant exception. But the real threat to their future has yet to be revealed, and when it is, the search for Ashmole 782 and its missing pages takes on even more urgency.

Overall:
A fantastic end to the series and I can't wait to see how they adapt this one as well. This eas so explosive and good. I did have a few moments closer to the end where I was annoyed that we essentially got closed door on what I thought would have been major blow out scenes and yet sometimes way too many pages on the mundane.  The pacing was faster this time around and while we had moments of levity, there were a whole lot more unmasking moments within the book. So many things get revealed and I love the way in which Deborah takes the team on their search for the origin of the species. It's going to be hella interesting what they do with the results.  I had originally skipped the novella Time's Convert but apparently, I shouldn't have and after this, I'm going to remedy that, because apparently a good amount of things happened, not enough that you can't follow along but enough you know that things happened off scene and you are missing a few minor pieces.

Narrator:
Jennifer Ikeda.

This is my second story with Jennifer as a narrator and she is phenomenal. She manages to make the whole cast of characters unique and carry the story along without losing any of the different threads.  I loved how I could tell who the different characters were, including when she would switch languages and sing. Just amazing, she really brought the story alive.  Her voice was pleasing and her inflections really made the story fly by. I read at 1.5x speed and this helped to make the storytime go by faster. Even sped up Jenn's voice really hooked you. I didn't want to stop listening at all.

Story:

The time has come for Matthew and Diana to return home and bring with them the knowledge of the Book of Life and once again attempt to beat out the others making a play for the book.  There were so many good moments of reunions that Diana and Matthew both needed that brought them healing while giving them the necessary footing to be able to go into battle far more prepared than they were before.

Diana now knows the source of her magic and can control better than before, but she's come back with a few more gifts as well and now the clock is ticking on when and how she will be face the full wrath of the governing body of the species. She's sworn to get revenge for the battles that were waged when she wasn't there and she's coming for the witches who betrayed her and her mother. Before she can make good on that promise though she needs the pieces of the Book Of Life and she and Matthew need to decipher it before their enemies.

From the time they return to the end of the book Diana and her team were running against a clock. Beat their enemies to deciphering the unknown language of the book, get revenge for her mother an all the other witches; find out why the species is dying out, and prevent Matthew's older brother from fling Diana out of the clan. It's a whirlwind of unraveling secrets, learning new secrets and discovering something that will eventually turn their entire world upside down.  There are new mates and partnerships that have formed while Matthew and Diana were away and now that they have returned they have to find their place within the new family dynamics.

I love that we learn what happened to some of the people Diana left behind; people we counted on before come through and some betray us.  Relationships are fractured and the truth comes out in a big way.  I loved the weaving of politics and the mythology of the Knights Templar into the story. The history and as new puzzle pieces were laid I was so excited to see how it changed the landscape they were navigating.  I found myself angry at some characters, in love with others, laughing with Diana and weary with Matthew. The fledging sense of hope, the fear Diana felt as she made it past the loss and her fear about what the future meant for their people. Fighting the ingrained prejudice that many took as a precaution against being seen by humans, it's funny how even within the magical community it comes down to genetics.

I really want to go into more detail but this being the final book I won't spoil it for you. If you want to fangirl on twitter/ Instagram in the DMs then holler at me.

I'm hoping we're going to get more from the world because there are so many we need to learn about. When those final battle scenes were happening?? When they hunted for Matthew and the full-blown truth came out?? This is what happens when a person doesn't truly have faith but uses it to practice punishment. So many times others have pointed out that Matthew's piousness would come back to haunt him and it finally does. I was so hooked those final chapters and I was totally satisfied with the ending. I highly recommend it my loves.

 ★★★★1/2☆

Series In Order

1. A Discovery Of Witches ( All Souls Trilogy 1)
2. Shadow Of Night (All Souls Trilogy 2) 
3. The Book Of Life ( All Souls Trilogy 3) 

RECOMMENDATIONS

• Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
• The Portal Series by Maggie Shayne

Happy Reading my loves, 

Audiobook #Reivew: A Shadow of Night (All Souls Trilogy Book 2) by Deborah Harkness .@DebHarkness

Book Title: A Shadow of Night (All Souls Trilogy Book 2)
Author: Deborah Harkness |Website| Twitter| Facebook| Instagram

Publisher: Viking Adult
Genre: Paranormal Historical Fiction
Series/Standalone: Book 2
Format: Audiobook, Hardcover
Narrator: Jennifer Ikeda

Audio Service: Penguin Audio via RTB App
Hours in Book: 25

Cost: $45.99

Pages: 834

How I got it: BEA 2012/ RTB App

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Publisher
Publication Date: July 10, 2012
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Synopsis:

Picking up from A Discovery of Witches’ cliffhanger ending, Shadow of Night takes Diana and Matthew on a trip through time to Elizabethan London, where they are plunged into a world of spies, magic, and a coterie of Matthew’s old friends, the School of Night. As the search for Ashmole 782 deepens and Diana seeks out a witch to tutor her in magic, the net of Matthew’s past tightens around them, and they embark on a very different—and vastly more dangerous—journey.

Overall:
A great historical fiction that picked right up where the first book finished. The story was chuck full of historical figures as well as with historical facts.  I enjoyed seeing how she wove all the different threads of the characters and the time period together along with the future storylines.

Narrator: Jennifer Ikeda.
This is my first taste of Jennifer as a narrator and she is phenomenal. She manages to make the whole cast of characters unique and carry the story along without losing any of the different threads.  I loved how I could tell who the different characters were, including when she would switch languages and sing. Just amazing, she really brought the story alive.  Her voice was pleasing and her inflections really made the story fly by. I read at 1.5x speed and this helped to make the storytime go by faster. Even sped up Jenn's voice really hooked you. I didn't want to stop listening at all.

Story:
The story picks up right where the first book A Discovery of Witches  ended. I have to say for me this reading experience was phenomenal. Having seen the t.v. show (Review) and reading the book I have a clear picture of the two characters and even as it's lengthy due to including all the historical information it still flowed well and kept me hooked.  Seeing the characters as the people portrayed in the show helped to make this an easier book to digest as we get scant descriptions of the characters at times.

The narrator really was able to make this story flow and the characters come alive. From the get go we really got Diana's thoughts and motivations and I was totally excited with her about being back in history and her realizing it's one thing to read about history/ teach it and it's people it's another to interact with it. I loved the discussion of time and it's movements, as we saw the future where the impacts they were making and the changes being wrought because of them being in the past and at the same time we realize this had to happen for them to come together in the future.

I loved the interaction with historical characters and how the development of how they impacted Dianna and Matthew's life. It was interesting to see how and who knew about the existence of beings and how this created the world we live in now.

When reading the first book I kept saying how much Matthew was holding back from Diana and how that was going to come back to hurt her. And here in this story it really began to come out how much Matthew holds back from sharing with Diana & his family. It's especially telling when family members point out that Matthew has two moods and neither of them allow him to share with those around him. For him this was a journey about learning how his faith wasn't being truly enacted and how much his holding back hurts those around him. Diana for her part had to learn to blend the two halves of herself, the part that hadn't interacted with magic before but wants to learn everything and the part that still wanted nothing to do with magic, while here she was able to be free to be herself to be surrounded by those who knew and were accepting of magic, while trying to stay one step ahead of the beginning of the witch trials in Scotland.

This was a European history major's dream weaving of fact and fiction in a that created a great story. I loved the different journeys they had to go on and seeing the ripple effects in the future. The story shares the different timelines and as the action ramps up we see how the different timelines converge and how history is impacted and the future is changed.

I really loved the life they created while in the time period, the changes it brings to them as characters, the growth they both experience, and the knowledge of how this world works. I loved the little snippets of things that you know have to have an impact in the future then jumping to the future and seeing how it impacts the family then. There are so many good moments, especially when Matthew meets up with someone whom he thought he would never see again.  They went in thinking this was going to be a simple mission find the book, learn about her magic and come back but time and magic have their own rules and they begin to learn that when Diana meets a mentor who really brings it all home for them.

Matthew and his origin is told to Diana and they begin the hunt for the book that will tell them the origin of all creatures. I can't wait to see how the story completely unfolds as Diana learns more about herself and her magic, her history and the history of witches.  I highly recommend reading it in audiobook form while following along with the book.  I can't wait to see it all play out in the second season, the way everything is described it's going to be interesting to say the least.

 ★★★★1/2☆

Series In Order

1. A Discovery of Witches 
2. A Shadow of Night 
3. The Book Of Life

RECOMMENDATIONS

• Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Happy Reading my loves, 

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, 

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, 

Audiobook #Review:Butterfly In Frost by Sylvia Day .@Scribd

Book Title: Butterfly in Frost
Author:  Sylvia Day |Website| Twitter| Facebook| Instagram

Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Genre: Romance
Series/Standalone: Standalone
Format: Audiobook, Physical
Narrator: Emma Wilder & Joe Arden 

Audio Service: Scribd
Hours in Book: 4 hours 48 mins

Cost: $7.99

Pages: 199

How I got it: Purchased/ Listened via Scribd

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Publisher
Publication Date: 08/27/2019
Add To Goodreads
Synopsis:

From #1 New York Times bestselling phenomenon Sylvia Day comes a hotly anticipated and passionate new love story.

Once, I would never have imagined myself here. But I’m settled now. In a place I love, in a home I renovated, spending time with new friends I adore, and working a job that fulfills me. I am reconciling the past and laying the groundwork for the future.

Then Garrett Frost moves in next door.

He’s obstinate and too bold, a raging force of nature that disrupts the careful order of my life. I recognize the ghosts that haunt him, the torment driving him. Garrett would be risky in any form, but wounded, he’s far more dangerous. I fear I’m too fragile for the storm raging inside him, too delicate to withstand the pain that buffets him. But he’s too determined…and too tempting.

And sometimes hope soars above even the iciest desolation.

Emotional and heartrending, Butterfly in Frost marks a brilliant return by global sensation Sylvia Day, the #1 international multimillion bestselling author of the Crossfire saga.

Overall:
Trigger Warning:
***Go in with knowledge that there is discussion of grief, loss of a child and depression. ***

I was anticipating this book and pre-ordered as soon as the link popped up on her website, I didn't need to know what it was about and went right into it once I saw the audiobook on Scribd. While I didn't know the synopsis I dived right into the story. I liked the story the narration, however, left much to be desired.  The story flew by but with the narration I kept going back wondering if I missed something. Nothing about the synopsis tells you what the true story is about and I kind of liked that.

Narrator:
For a majority of the story, it's told in Teagan's voice and therefore told from Emma Wilder which was fine. I really enjoyed her because she was good at doing Teagan's voice and Roxy's and later when we meet a few others. Her inflections totally made the characters come alive. However, the last few chapters are from Garrett and they have Joe Arden narrate that. Please explain to me if you're going to hire a male voice actor why the HELL was Emma deepening her voice to do his parts in the first half????? Did the budget not kick in until later?? It totally ruined the story because I'm like why didn't he just do the voice the whole time?? Cause now this is a whole new character since Emma's been doing the voice completely differently. UGHHHHH Y'all need to get it together.  Did Not Like

Story:

While reading this I kept wondering if I had somehow skipped pages or if the book was missing pages. I love a good insta love story but this was fast even for me. Then I determined they must have known each other because Garrett was way too familiar in his habits for this to be the first time they try some of these things.

I was very glad that we had a character dealing ( or not really dealing ) with depression and grief. They were two people broken and finding comfort in each other, at least that's how it read until we got to the end and we learn more from Garrett.

I really loved that we got to meet up with Ava from the Crossfire series and in the process got some information on all the other characters, as this is in the future ( I won't tell you how far in the future but it was pretty cool). This was a pretty fast story that feels like it could have been fleshed out more, we could have learned more from them. They were both trying to cope with major changes, Teagan with a divorce that devastated her,. and Garrett with the loss of a child.

At the end of the story so much of their conversation make more sense and it fills in the cracks and makes the story richer, but when I was reading the first time through I kept feeling like I was missing something, honestly, I felt like Roxy at the end.

I did love it at the end, but man getting there was a little confusing. I ended up loving the story once it all unfolded. Especially after reading her notes on the book and the song choice for the theme of the book: Happier by Marshmello ft Bastille

 ★★★☆☆

RECOMMENDATIONS

• Finding Home Again (Catalina Cove 3) by Brenda Jackson
• Love In Catalina Cove by Brenda Jackson

Happy Reading my loves, 

AudioBook #Review: Witchling (Otherworld Sisters of The Moon Book 1) by Yasmine Galenorn .@YasmineGalenorn

Book Title: Witchling (Otherworld/ Sisters of the Moon)
Author: Yasmine Galenorn |Website| Twitter| Facebook| Instagram

Publisher: Tantor Media
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy
Series/Standalone: Book 1
Format: Audiobook Unabridged
Narrator: Cassandra Campbell

Audio Service: Scribd
Hours in Book: 10

Cost: $7.99

Pages: 276

How I got it: Scribd

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Publisher

Publication Date: December 15th, 2008
Add To Goodreads
Synopsis:

We're the D'Artigo Sisters: Half-human, half-Faerie, we're savvy--and sexy--operatives for the Otherworld Intelligence Agency. But our mixed-blood heritage short-circuits our talents at all the wrong times. My sister Delilah shapeshifts into a tabby cat whenever she's stressed. Menolly's a vampire who's still trying to get the hang of being undead. And me? I'm Camille--a wicked-good witch. Except my magic is as unpredictable as the weather, which my enemies are about to find out the hard way...

At the Wayfarer Inn, a portal to Otherworld and the local hangout for humans and beasties alike, our fellow operative, Jocko, has been murdered. Every clue points to Shadow Wing, the soul-munching, badass leader of the Subterranean Realms. He's made it clear that he aims to raze humankind to the ground, turning both Earth and Otherworld into his private playground. Our assignment: keep Shadow Wing and his minions from creeping into Earth via the Wayfarer. The demons figure they're in like Flynn. After all, with only my bumbling sisters and me standing in the way, how can they miss? But we've got a secret for them: Faulty wiring or not, nobody kicks ass like the D'Artigo girls. . .

Overall:
I listened to this over the course of two weeks, not because it wasn't good but because I enjoyed it then put it down for a few books for tour dates, I found that it was extremely easy to jump back in when I wanted to come back to the story and the narrator Cassandra was wonderful, her voice able to keep you entertained and engaged while keeping the story flowing.

Narrator
This was narrated by Cassandra Campbell and she was wonderful. She carried all the emotions and made them tangible without bogging down the story. I loved when she managed to make Camille's voice sound like an overall narrator while still sharing the story from her POV and sharing her funny as hell self talk. I enjoyed her voice a good deal.

Story:

I loved that this was an urban fantasy. In this world, the Fae and all the creatures of the paranormal world are out and they are all form Otherworld. Camille and her sisters who are all half-fae, half-human were more prepared to live among the human than most. They are guardians who really only have a few instances in which they have to step in. Until the day someone opens the portal to Otherworld and let in three dangerous creatures who immediately set about upsetting the balance of the town.  Something or someone is killing Fae and leaving a mess behind and now the sisters must work with their human liaison and try to find out just what came through and what it's got to do with the coming upheaval in Otherworld.

I loved that this world had so many complex courts and the lore that was included. It's going to be interesting to see all the stories that develop and come out of this world. Camille and her sisters are interesting, as each young woman has different strengths and weaknesses. Camille is the witch in the family but her spells don't always work, she's in love with a race of people that are looked down upon in the Otherworld ( because even in the fantasy world dark-skinned people can't catch a break le sigh). Knowing that the Svartans love to enthrall their lovers then leave them she cuts him from her life first and now that there is an upcoming battle the Svartan is back in her life. Can she trust him or is he here only to break her heart.

Her two sisters will have their own stories as one was changed into a vampire while on assignment and another has a tendency to shapeshift whenever she's stressed. That makes it hard for her to help during battles. As the story grows legends come to life, a long lost key comes into play and there is a hot dragon. Oh and several earth spirits including a drop-dead gorgeous Kitsune.  Camille has to complete a bargain of getting a demon finger, finding the murderer of the Fae, stop a powerful artifact from falling into the wrong hands and take on a seemingly indestructible Fae nicknamed Badass.

She's gotta do all of this while making sure her bookstore doesn't get protested by those who want the right to hunt their paranormal neighbors and of course protect the city.

I did wonder if this was a spin off of a established series, while the world building was good; I felt like a bit of the storytelling was a 'given' like you should know because you've been here before. Also the relationship that Camille is in was done really quickly as they are an established couple from before the story started.  There is also a weird relationship that develops with one of the sisters, and it happened off screen and we don't know how it all went down. The sisters were quirky but I'm hoping it's not too much of the chick lit quirk where they are so 'helpless' without the male protag. I enjoyed this one for the lore we were getting as well as Camille's view on things. She didn't have any too stupid to live moments which let's be real sometimes these books have the heroines do just so they can be rescued. Nope she was smart, and on top of it including being knowledgeable about the lore she needed to be able to save her family and stay one step ahead for now. I'm hoping this shapes up to be a polyamory story but I won't hold my breathe.

I enjoyed it, and can't wait to check out the rest of the series which I now own up to book 18 thanks to Savers over the summer.

 ★★★☆☆

Series In Order

• Witchling (Book 1) 

RECOMMENDATIONS

• Kitty Norville Series by Carrie Vaughn 
• Merry Gentry series by Laurell K Hamilton ( I can only vouch for up to Swallowing Darkness after that y'all are on your own. ) 
• Magic series by Cheyenne McCray
• World of the Lupi by Karen Chance

Happy Reading my loves,