ARC Review: Fighting for Hope (Redemption Harbor Security #7)

Fighting for Hope (Redemption Harbor Security #7)

Katie Reus

Blurb:

He never expected someone like her…

Redemption Harbor security expert Bradford never thought he would fall in love, until Hope blew up his world. But after their wedding in Vegas, she disappeared—and he was shipped out to places unknown. He still doesn’t know why she ran, and he’s learned to live with that. The one thing he can’t accept is living without her. So when he discovers she’s in danger, he won’t be walking away this time.

Now he’s ready to burn down the world to keep her safe.

Investigative journalist Hope has never gotten over Bradford. But no matter how much she loves him, it never would have worked. She doesn’t know how to love herself, let alone someone else—and he deserves someone who can give him everything. Only now that a dangerous enemy is gunning for her, she can’t trust anyone except Bradford. As they race to stay alive and uncover the truth, she finds herself struggling to protect her heart against the biggest threat of all: her estranged husband.

Themes:  Contemporary

Rating:  4.25 stars

Heat Rating: 

Review:

Bradford and Hope have been on our minds ever since he started hinting that he had a woman that plagued his mind when the others would tease him about other women in the past novels. Finally we get to hear the full story and see what happened to these two lovers that were obviously meant to be together and just couldn’t get on the same page for far too long. Katie Reus’s ability to portray rich characters, crazy complicated plots, and deadly action never ceases to amaze and enamor readers with each new installment in her Redemption Harbor series. This latest novel takes us to a small town where two lovers that never really severed ties are finally given a chance to be there for one another and not only solve the mystery of their own love life but bring down a ring of dangerous criminals that have working in the shadows for far too long. Bradford, Rowan, Berlin and the rest of the RH crew are in for a seriously crazy adventure and readers will enjoy each action packed mission as they let their crazy out just that little bit more to bring down the bastards out to end Hope’s life and Bradford’s chances at happiness.

Bradford once offered his heart to Hope Berkley, knowing she wasn’t the type of woman to stick around, but unable to deny to himself that she owned his soul. After a brief weekend in Vegas, Hope left him behind but neither of them ever filed for divorce, and when her father dies there is nowhere he would be then right there at her side. Hope never imagined she’d have Bradford at her side again, but not only is she grateful for his support, but things are getting strange in her small hometown. There are dangerous men threatening her, and masked me have broken into her father’s house, and now that the Redemption Harbor team is in town Bradford is determined to find out what is going on. The deeper the team digs, forcing Hope to spend more time with the only man who’s ever come close to stealing her heart, the stranger things get for them all. Hope and the team have to figure things out before their enemies succeed in killing her and definitely before she loses her heart, but maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to finally claim the husband that is rightfully hers. Bradford is through walking away and will do whatever is takes to keep Hope safe and in his life, because he will spend the rest of his life Fighting for Hope.

I loved reading this novel, finally getting to learn more about Bradford and to meet Hope. Hope seems like the kind of woman that has spent all of her life running from forming personal attachments and presenting a no fear persona in her work. Sometimes our formative years, watching how our parents interact not only with one another but with others truly does shape us in ways we never really realize as we grow. Hope’s father certainly led her to have little to no faith in men and fear deepening on or deeply caring for anyone, because doing so would certainly lead to them leaving in one way or another. But she’d never really met a man like Bradford and now she has come to understand the difference that having an honorable, brave, loving person in your life can truly make. She is smart, sweet, sassy, brave, and willing to stand up for the little guy even at the expense of her own safety so really what’s not to like about Hope. Bradford was one of my favorite heroes, one of those guys that knows when to give his woman space and when to show up and save the day, even if he has to be a little bit overbearing to do so. It was obvious that he loved her from the beginning, but knowing that she wasn’t ready to fully commit he let her go and just waited until she needed him to restake his claim on her heart. His ability to rush in, kick ass, protect his girl, and still crack jokes made me smile and kinda wish I was Hope, but my favorite was the way that he cared for all the women in his life, being their sounding board and friend, even encouraging their own fun brands of crazy. What a great guy he would be to have in your corner, even if you couldn’t have him in your bed.

Reading Fighting for Hope was a thrill ride filled with laughter, tears, action, and love as a team of crazy friends and found family come to town to help one of their own find out what the hell is going on in her small town after the death of her father, even as the man that stole her heart reclaims it once and for all.  Hope ran from Bradford years ago after marrying him, thinking she’d made a mistake, but never finding the courage to undo it, and now with the death of her father and strange men threatening her, she needs him more than ever. Bradford never gave up loving and wanting Hope, but now is his chance to prove to her that he is the man to be by her side through all of life’s challenges, and he is willing to do anything to keep her safe and solve this mystery. The Redemption Harbor team is right there with them as they blow shit up, bring down corruption, and make sure that no slimy bastards hide from their investigations, but Bradford just wants to keep Hope safe while showing her the love that he’s always felt for her. The heat between these two is there from the very first word of the prologue until they walk off the pages together hand in hand, but once they both accept that they should never have given up on their relationship those sparks become so much more. I loved every moment of this crazy ride and I cannot wait to find out where Katie might take us next with this group of found family and their crazy adventures.

*eARC provided by author for the purpose of an honest and unbiased review. No compensation was provided.

ARC Review: Last Chance Seduction (Montgomery Ink Legacy Book #9)

Last Chance Seduction (Montgomery Ink Legacy Book #9)

Carrie Ann Ryan

Blurb:

The last time I saw Lexington Montgomery; he held my sister in his arms as my fiancé left me at the altar.

Neither one of us knew it would be two years until we saw each other again. Or that it would be the last time my sister was part of our core group.

Grieving, I’m back in Colorado trying to start over. I have no family and have no intention of dating ever again.

Only fate has other plans because Lexington Montgomery is my new neighbor.

I want to stay away from him, but there’s no chance of that now. Especially when his ex shows up to rub her new husband—and the chance at his dream job—in his face.

I didn’t mean to do it, but now I’m Lex’s fake girlfriend over the holidays and there’s nothing fake about the attraction between us.

Except once we finally give in, it turns out the past I ran from wasn’t so far away after all. And the dangers we never saw coming might end what we have—fake or not—before we even have a chance.

Themes:  Contemporary

Rating: 4 stars

Heat Rating: 

Review:

I have never met an author more skilled at tearing out our hearts just to remind us how important love and taking the time with our loved one is—Carrie Ann Ryan is truly the Queen. For those of us that have been around since the OG Montgomery’s were leaving us in tears you’ll be just as thrilled as I was to get to see Eliza Wilder-Montgomery and Beckett Montgomery’s son Lexington finally find the love of his life, and in some that has been in front of him all along.  This is one of those stories that opens our hearts and yes to the possibilities that we have ignored or overlooked for far to long, so that we remember that love is sometimes meant to be and easy path and for others we have to live through trauma and pain in order to appreciate the beauty and magic that love brings to our lives. As always Carrie gives us a sneak peak for the upcoming story and I have to say that just seeing that little bit that is coming for poor Brooklyn I almost dread her story because I know the pain will be close to unbearable to experience right along with her before she heals enough o find love again.  The capacity of the human heart for healing and expanding to allow room for second chance at love never ceases to amaze me, and Carrie is truly one of the few that understands that and can express it through her writing.

Mercy Caddel has lived through the worst two years of her life and she has finally returned to Colorado, hoping to finish healing and reestablish herself in her home state, but her haven is being disturbed by the construction happening on the house next door. She is thrown for another loop when she discovers her new neighbor is none other than Lexington ‘Lex’ Montgomery, someone she once trusted beyond most others, but who was there on one of the worst days of her life. Lex is even more surprised than Mercy but he has missed her immensely and is glad she is back even though she is giving him the cold shoulder—at least until they suddenly find themselves in a fake relationship. Now they are spending time together and the friendship they once shared is flaring into a passion neither of them anticipated, but can their new chemistry and connection withstand the lie their relationship began with, or will their rocky foundation crumble when danger comes knocking?

I am always a major fan of the ever popular friends-to-lovers trope and when you add in the fake-relationship bit things are bound to heat up quickly. Lex has always had a thing for Mercy and now with nothing standing in his way he quickly finds that she is everything he wants him a lover. Lex is the perfect example of a Montgomery, even if he was adopted; he’s strong, sweet, caring, stubborn, and often says the first stupid thing that comes out of his mouth and gets himself into trouble. He has dedicated himself to his family and their business his entire adult life, never having much real luck in love, but when he has the chance with Mercy he goes all in, even if he does make a dumb mistake, in the end he truly almost gives his all for her. I just loved watching him lose his head and heart to his old friend and finding out that sometimes the lover we were meant to be with truly is the girl next door. Mercy is leery of men for obvious reasons, having been left at the altar by the last man she dated, but when she finds herself accidentally putting them into a fake relationship she soon realizes that Lex is the kind of man she wants in her life and begins to trust again. She is smart, sassy, hardworking, passionate, and determined to move forward in life even knowing that she has lost so much. I loved seeing her accept the love that Eliza offered her so easily, knowing she needed family more than anything, because she needed to be folded into the Montgomery “cult” badly after all she’d been through.

Dating in this world can sometimes leave a person jaded, and with all these two went through it truly could have been their last chances, but they found in one another the missing pieces of their hearts and healed from all their breaks. Mercy went through the most heartbreaking day of her life, being left at the altar then almost losing her sister, but since that day she has lived through two years that could break any persons heart. She is trying to live again and having Lex and the Montgomerys in her life might just be the very thing she needs to remind her that having love is all we need in this life to keep moving forward. Lex has had his share of disastrous romances and when Mercy forces them into a fake relationship he never imagines just how real it would become, but there is no denying the woman owns him heart and soul. He knows that the woman that he almost lost is the only one he’ll ever want again, but if he isn’t careful he just might lose her again and he refuses to give her up this time—to anyone or anything. I loved watching these two fumble their way through their fake feelings and ultimately finding the passion too much to hide anymore until the fire burned the walls down between them. Their love and connection are obvious to everyone but them from the beginning and it was fun to see their friends and family teasing them as they found their way through to one another. I am looking forward to seeing more of them in future stories. Brooklyn’s story is coming next and I am truly not sure I’m ready for the pain (Kiss Me Forever), but I know that Ms. Ryan will give her an HEA in the end, even if we have to cry buckets to get there.  For now, I will bask in the heat and beauty that was Last Chance Seduction and the love of two people that were truly meant to be.

*eARC provided by author for the purpose of an honest and unbiased review. No compensation was provided.

ARC Review: After Midnight (Skye Druids Book #7)

After Midnight (Skye Druids Book #7)

Donna Grant

Blurb:

She was always my weakness. Now she’s my only hope.

She was my salvation once—wild magic in her blood, fire in her kiss, and a body I still dream about. I touched heaven with her.

Then dragged us both to hell.

Now she looks at me like I’m the enemy. But I see the way she trembles when I get too close. Feel her power pulse when I say her name.

She hasn’t forgotten.

And I’ll make damn sure she remembers.

An ancient evil is rising beneath Skye—older than our magic, and twice as ruthless.

Only she and I can stop it. We’re bound by fate, fueled by everything we never stopped wanting.

She doesn’t trust me. Doesn’t want to want me.

Too bad. Because I’ll fight for her. Claim her.

Ruin her all over again—if that’s what it takes to keep her safe.

This isn’t just about saving the world. It’s about us.

What I destroyed.

What I’ll never let go again.

Themes:  Paranormal, Magick

Rating: 4 stars

Heat Rating: 

Review:

Ok we are back on Skye and finally getting the story of Sabertooth and how his history led him to the Knights and to hiding his identity from them. For those that have been following along from the beginning this has been a major plot point that has left us wondering if he was  somehow responsible for some of the trouble the Knights had faced, or if the enemies that were chasing him might have been after the Knights too. Now we will learn how his past once intersected with another Knight and just how dangerous those chasing him are. The Skye druids series continues to get increasingly complex, with enemies adding up, intersecting and joining forces left and right so I have to say I am even getting a little confused from one book to the next keeping all the dangers straight. It also becomes increasingly difficult to appreciate the relationships that are developed (or reestablished) in these stories has the protagonists are always too busy either fighting battles, strategizing battles, or trying to figure out just what the hell is going on around them. With evil stacking up all around the island, their enemies becoming way too powerful, and their challenges to find tools to win the war growing in difficulty, who has time to really fall in love?

That said it makes is difficult to get detailed explaining what I liked in the story without giving away too many spoilers, but I will give it my best shot. Kurt “Saber” Barclay has been on the run from an enemy that is determined to bring him to heel—or kill him—but when he learns the danger is headed straight for the Knights on Skye he knows he can no longer stay in the shadows and has to give up his identity to save them, and especially the woman that he once gave his heart and soul too.  Sabryn Beaumont is pissed when she learns the man she has trusted all these years as Saber is really the bastard that broke her heart and left her in the dust years ago, but when she learns the truth of their time together her fury and heartbreak only multiplies. Now Kurt and Sabryn along with the rest of the Skye druids and Knights have to deal with the many dangers trying to kill them all, while at the same time coming to terms with their pasts, because if they don’t the entire island is doomed.

While I definitely enjoyed reading this story, finally getting to understand Sabryn and Kurt’s past, and seeing them find their way back to an HEA, I have to say there was so much going on around them, with foe after foe popping up, that I didn’t get nearly enough “them” time for my liking.  Sabryn has lived through a lot of pain and trauma in the time since Kurt broke her heart, but the more she learns about their past together the more she realizes she never knew. She is definitely a strong and stubborn woman, but when she finally is forced to confront the full truth and see everything from all angles she comes to understand that sometimes forgiveness and love are the greatest weapons against evil we can wield. Kurt has a lot in his past to be ashamed of and atone for, but he had never stopped loving Sabryn and protecting her has always been his goal, even if he has to do it in secret as Saber. Now that he is forced out of hiding he knows that she might push him out of her life and he’ll lose her forever, but he has to take the chance if it means keeping her (and the rest of Skye) safe from the evil chasing him down. His determination and passion fuel his mission and make him a perfect match for Sabryn once they both stop living in the past and accept that the only way forward is by living in the present and accepting their love and happiness together. Its obvious their chemistry has never faded and that their love was always predestined, so seeing them finally accept that and the way it helped them defeat their enemies was impressive. I am looking forward to more in the series, but I continue to hope that we have more relationship building and a little less craziness because I’m going to have to start taking notes on all these enemies otherwise! Donna Grant’s imagination truly terrifies me at times because I can promise you that very few authors have her ability to suck you into stories this way and make you feel right there beside her characters battling enemies terrifying and awe-inspiring all at once.

*eARC provided by author for the purpose of an honest and unbiased review. No compensation was provided.