ARC Review: At First Meet (Montgomery Ink Legacy #2)

At First Meet (Montgomery Ink Legacy #2)

Carrie Ann Ryan

Blurb:

I fell in love with the wrong man and learned the hard way to ask for help.

I don’t plan on falling again and have no intention of trying.

But when I get invited to a high-powered CEO retreat, I know I can’t say no.

And I can’t go alone.

When my frenemy, Nick, invites himself as my escort, I should walk away.

But there’s no stopping the connection we’ve both ignored for far too long.

Only Nick’s past is far darker than he lets the world know, and the shell he encased himself in is stronger than my own. And when the pain from my past comes back with a force, I’m afraid that walking away will be the only choice—even if it breaks us both.

Themes:  Contemporary

Rating: 4.5 stars

Heat Rating: 

Review:

Oh my where to begin on this story… honestly there is just so much to say that it’s hard to know what to say about all the greatness. I knew when Carrie Ann told us we’d be blessed with this second generation of Montgomery’s that life was going to get crazy, but I never knew that it would be tearing my heart out even more than the originals did; she’s really outdone herself this time.  For those that have been long-time Montgomery fans, it isn’t overly surprising that Lake and Nick’s story is a rocky one with a lot of pain and trauma to work through before they find their safe place to land in one another’s arms.  Lake Montgomery is truly a powerhouse when it comes to her role as a kickass CEO and she is a role model for all young girls in that respect, but her personal life is a bit of a mess. When she is given a chance to go on in important business retreat she knows she needs a plus one, but taking her business partner and one of her best friends doesn’t occur to her.  Nick Gatlin was practically raised by the Montgomery’s and has been around Leif and Lake his whole adult life, but she has always rubbed his the wrong way and that leaves them arguing most of their time together.  When he finds out she needs backup on a retreat so she’d not flying solo in shark-infested waters, he volunteers in a moment of madness and they soon find themselves in truly unfamiliar waters.  But soon their relationship turns to a very real and very sensual connection they have both denied and they have to accept the act that there has always been more there than just friendship, because if they don’t what they have built will be at risk.

I truly enjoyed watching Nick and Lake circle one another until they finally decided it was time to stop and find their way into one another’s arms.  Lake has had a rough time of in her personal relationships, but once she opens her heart up to the possibility off a love between herself and Nick her life becomes beautiful despite the outside forced trying to ruin things for her.  She is such a great woman, with her brilliant mind, sweetness, sass, and willingness to help others I knew that I was going to love seeing into the dark and deep corners of her mind, despite knowing she has a lot of trauma to work through before she would be able to open herself to a new relationship.  Nick is an interesting one, the kind of guy that you certainly take a second look at and wonder how deep his pain goes at the same time you wonder if you are actually strong enough to help him overcome his pain and heal.  I was truly not surprised to learn that all the antagonism between these two was from them hiding their attraction and emotional connection for so long, and once Nick decided he’d had enough of hiding from Lake I loved seeing him go for it, all in, giving her exactly what she’d always wanted and needed in a man from the most unlikely source.  The passion between them was beyond even by high expectations, but the sweetness and depth of their connection was what made tears come to my eyes repeatedly as they found their way to their HEA.  There was laughter, drama, trauma overcome, and enemy beaten into the dust, and of course a great love for the ages all in a story of two longtime friends finding their love no longer covert.  I am dying for the next stories (May’s and then Sebastian’s) though I know that Sebastian’s will be truly heartbreaking to read, but I know his story will be beautiful because he deserves it.  Ryan’s couples are always perfect for each other in the most unexpected ways and each story has its own unique magic and ingredients to make them the perfect recipe for greatness—much like the perfect cheese soufflé.

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

Review: HOT Shadows (Hostile Operations Team: Strike Team 2 #6)

HOT Shadows (Hostile Operations Team: Strike Team 2 #6)

Lynn Raye Harris

Blurb:

Everly Fairhope is desperate. When threats against her mother’s life escalate, there’s only one man she can turn to. But he’s as likely to slam the door in her face as he is to help her.

Special Ops soldier Jax “Gem” Stone didn’t think he’d see Everly again after the abrupt way she walked out of his life and got engaged to someone else. So when she turns up at his front door, begging for help, the answer is no.

Until someone takes a shot at them both.

Gem doesn’t want to get involved for good reasons, but there’s no turning back. He’ll protect Everly and end the threat, then he wants her gone.

Some things are easier said than done, though.

Saving Everly from danger could be harder than expected when powerful forces work against him. But letting her go a second time?

Impossible. She’s his, and he intends to prove it to her. If they survive what’s coming…

Themes:  Contemporary

Rating: 4.5 stars

Heat Rating: 

Review:

Another sexy HOT agent finds himself in a dangerous situation thanks to a sexy and sinfully attractive woman in this latest addition to the HOT series by Lynn Raye Harris. I’ve greatly anticipated this new book since the ending of the previous novel even with the intermission of the Black’s Bandits stories from Harris but HOT will always hold a special place in my heart.  I knew the moment that I got the email that this one was going to be a doozy, but I had no clue that it was going to be such a heartbreaking and intriguing story.  I have been a fan of this story from its inception and with each new twist, turn, and couple I find myself more in love, and I know one day the series will come to its natural thought bittersweet ending, but in the meantime I will love every second of reading it. If you are a fan of sexy and deadly alpha males that are willing to give every bit of their strength and heart and sometimes even the risk of their lives in order to protect not only their friends, team, and country but the women that they love, this series will be perfect for you.  I cannot wait for the next in the series and I am of course holding out hope for another spinoff series.

Jackson “Gem” Stone once thought that Everly Fairhope was “the one” and would be the woman he gave his heart to, until the day she broke up with him and left him angry and bitter.  Now that she is moving on with her life and engaged no less, he’s beyond pissed to find her on his doorstep asking for his help in protecting her mother from some imagined threat. Everly knew she was falling for the sensual badass soldier after only a few weeks with Gem, but she had to let him so in order to protect him.  Now she needs his help, even if it means confronting her own feelings for him, but he is just as determined to push her out of his life now.  Until the threat becomes very real in the form of flying bullets coming right at Everly, then there is no way in hell that Gem will leave her to her own devices.  Now they are stuck together trying to understand who is after her and why, but they are both having to deal with their feelings and the residual emotions from the relationship. Soon they can’t resist the passion between them any longer, but when the enemy succeeds in finally getting their hands on Everly, Gem has to overcome every obstacle to rescue Gem if he hopes to have a future with the woman that has once and for all claimed his heart.

Everly and Gem were perfect for one another, despite them hiding their connection under layers of bitterness and resentment. I loved seeing Everly push past Gem’s anger in order to make him see the woman she really was, instead of the emotionless robot that her mother wanted her to be.  I truly felt the way her relationship with her mother ran her life (personal experience there, but in the end her mother did love her) and seeing her finally stand up for what she wanted—in this case Gem—made me admire her even more.  She was sassy, smart, sweet, and loveable despite her lack of role-models in that regard, but I enjoyed getting to know her and seeing her with Gem’s friends and their ladies.  She’s obviously going to make a great addition to the HOT women. Gem on the other hand I wanted to slap a few too many times.  Sheesh I get that he was hurt, but man he was just that little bit annoying in holding a grudge, though yeah I get it.  Once he let go of his hurt and found a way to understand her reasons for the breakup I think his heart became even more invested and he finally admitted that he’d always loved Everly. Seeing him kicking butt and outsmarting the villains was super fun too, because really those guys were his match in some ways, but definitely not up to his level.  It's obvious that even though the bad guys had skills, there is no match for a HOT operator when his woman is being threatened.

HOT Shadows really was a plot twister with several unexpected turns in the story that led to some interesting character changes, and in the end you were left wondering just what could happen next.  Everly and Gem were sadly stirring as they worked through their past heartaches in order to keep each other safe and find a way out of the darkness to have a future together.  Gem was a hardass a good bit of the book as he held a grudge against Everly, but once he opened his heart again he showed us the true heart of a hero.  Everly was a woman at her wit’s end as she tried again and again to make her mother happy, even at the expense of her own happiness, until she finally came to the realization that the love of a good man is much more important.  That realization and opening of her heart lead her to a freedom that will allow her to finally give her a full and happy life with the man she loves.  The passion between these two is there from the very beginning, even before they are reunited, but once they finally allow themselves to express their need the emotional impact of the heat is totally off the charts. I loved every second of this story and was so glad that Everly and Gem found a way to their HEA and the safety of their freedom.  I cannot wait for the next story, but have no doubt that whatever happens next there is no way whatever I’m guessing will be anywhere close to the greatness Harris gives us.  Once again Lynn strikes gold with two lovers reunited in the heat of battle and their love will last forever.

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

Review: Capturing Her Highland Keeper (Time to Love a Highlander #4)

Capturing Her Highland Keeper (Time to Love a Highlander #4)

Maeve Greyson

Blurb:

Lyla knows she needs something—she just doesn’t know what.

Lyla Smythe is restless with that same uncomfortable edginess that always hits before a major life shakeup. She just needs to stay busy and ignore the feeling. Maybe it’s because her annoying sister moved in. Opposites in every way, at least they share a love of the stars.

Armed with homemade wine, they watch a meteor shower. But the wine must be tainted. One minute, they’re retching in the night, the next, it’s morning. And Edinburgh has somehow become a tiny hamlet. Before Lyla can sort it out, riders approach. The leader, a fiercely handsome man, sets her sixth sense buzzing.

Grant knows what he needs—but he’s afraid to repeat the past.

After his uncle’s execution, Chieftain Grant Reddoch trusts very few. When he comes upon two strangely dressed women acting addled, he’s certain they are spies. Best take them prisoner. Keep allies close. Keep those you don’t trust closer. The one called Lyla unnerves him. She clouds his judgement with the endearing friendliness of an irresistible puppy.

With growing political unrest, the last thing he needs are distractions. But the more he’s around Lyla, the more he needs her. And so, they wed. Then she tells him of her past and forces him to realize his error. He needs a wife and mother to his bairns. Not a woman suffering from lunacy. He locks her away for her own safety. Like he should have done with his first wife before she hanged herself.

Lyla knows she can make Grant happy and be a good mother to his children—if only he will let her. One way or another, she will capture her Highland keeper and love him until he has no choice but to accept time travel and love her as fiercely as she loves him.

Themes:  Historical, Time Travel

Rating: 4.25 stars

Heat Rating: 

Review:

The saga of time lost women that find themselves thrown back to 17^th century Scotland continues with a twist as Maeve sends back feisty twin sisters and shows us the differences two women can have on their lives. I have enjoyed this series from the very beginning and continue to look forward to each new installment as each of the unique heroines finds herself in strange situations with her hero and dealing with not only accepting her fate or finding her way home, but coming to lose her heart to the man that she meets in the past.  Twin sisters Lyla and Abby as enjoying a drunken night of stargazing, Lyla just trying to come to terms with the restlessness she has been feeling, when suddenly the sun has risen and the new dawn presents them with a new reality.  The Edinburgh they expect to see spread below the hill before them is no more, instead they find themselves overlooking a quaint hamlet and faced with approaching riders dressed in medieval clothes.  Chieftain Grant Reddoch stumbles upon the two women, one slightly inebriated and one hysterical, and takes it upon himself to rescue them by bringing them to his home, by he knows he can’t trust them as their explanations of their presence is too unbelievable.  But soon Grant and Lyla find themselves calling in love, but when she tells him the truth, he fears she’s lost her mind and he is determined help her by locking her away for her safety.  Faced with captivity, Lyla is determined to prove to Grant that she is not only safe and sane, but that she will be a great wife and mother to his twins, if only he allows her to be with him, but can she prove to her strong highland captor the truth of her past and her love? I really enjoyed this story despite all the pain and drama that Lyla went through at the hands of Grant and watching her deal with it was heartbreaking.  Lyla was much stronger and braver than Abby, sassy, and witty, but her sweetness both with Grant and with his twins are what made her such a great character.  I really enjoyed seeing her as she worked through falling in love with Grant and making him face his own love and making him accept her truth to trust in her and her love.  Grant was a brave and alpha warrior, but his fears of the past repeating made him make some seriously stupid and shortsighted mistakes and I wanted to slap him upside the head several times.  I understood his fears, but damn the man for almost breaking Lyla by doing what he did.  I will say that when he finally accepted the truth and proved him faith in her, there was no better mate for Lyla.  The passion between Grant and Lyla as apparent from the beginning and that stirred their love even when they were separated by pain and bad decisions.  The side romance between Abby and Malcolm was cute, but I did not appreciate Abby’s weakness and lack of spine through most of the story as she allowed Lyla to take the brunt of all the pain and discord they faced.  I am glad she finally stepped up.  In the end it was only with faith and extreme patience, along with one woman who finally quit be fearful, that allow Lyla and Grant to reach their HEA and I loved the weaving of this story.  Maeve is a master storyteller, weaving her plots and characters into a beautiful tapestry every time.

*eARC provided by publisher (via NetGalley) for the purpose of an honest and unbiased review.  No compensation was provided.

ARC Review: The Phantom (Rise of the Warlords #3)

The Phantom (Rise of the Warlords #3)

Gena Showalter

Blurb:

As the son of a war god, Roux Pyroesis has suffered unending pain—he’s caused it, too, dispatching his foes with alarming ease. Now he’s tasked with cutting out the heart of a powerful queen who rules an ancient prison realm inhabited by the most vicious immortal females in existence.

Blythe the Undoing is a decorated harpy warrior determined to annihilate Roux, the invader who killed her beloved consort. Nothing will stop her. Even if she must trap herself for eternity by sneaking into the brutal realm and taking the crown, pitting herself against the merciless male she’s sworn to despise.

Having never known desire, Roux is ill prepared for the stunning beauty who challenges him at every turn. For the survival of his army, duty comes first. Always. But what happens when the flames of Blythe’s hatred burn out and she craves him, too…but only one of them can live?

Themes:  Paranormal

Rating: 4.5 stars

Heat Rating:  

Review:

Well as usual this story was one for the ages, one that will leave you in tears, laughter, and wondering why you and your mate didn’t have a game off “how many organs can I steal from you” during your courtship. There is truly nothing like a Showalter story when it comes to the unique and interesting ways that she brings her lovers together, even against the most outlandish and unbelievable of odds.  With enemies at every turn you wonder how the hell she could ever get these two from death and torture to the love that will change a universe and tip the scales of an epic battle for the fate of the gods. This series is not for the faint of heart to be sure, with gruesome details, heartbreaking tragedies, and the outlandish and terrifying habits of some creatures that make you wonder if they are psychotic or just a little quirky. That said I haven’t read a single story that I haven’t loved and that hasn’t left me dying for the next in the series, so if you want a wild ride filled with action, passion, twists and turns, reach no further than The Phantom.  

Blythe the Undoing is on a mission, one that she refuses to rush and one that she relishes completing; she is out to torture and kill the male that ended the life of her beloved consort, the father of her precious child, and she doesn’t care what it costs the world in the end (mostly).  When the Astra invaded her world, cutting down her lover and changing her life forever she knew that she would spend the rest of her existence if need be seeking vengeance and her chance finally comes.  Roux, son of Mars, regrets greatly that he cut down Blythe’s consort, taking her little one’s father, but there is no changing the past, and as she won’t let him make amends, there is nothing he can do except work his hardest to complete his task when it is his turn.  Tasked with something seemingly too easy, Roux travels to a land of deadly and dangerous women determined to finish and return quickly, but Blythe follows him there and they soon find themselves entangled in a dangerous game where they need to work together in order to survive.  He needs to win his task and she needs to survive to return to her daughter, but it seems again and again they are at cross-goals, but the passion that sparks between them is undeniable and though it doesn’t seem possible they come to understand that their fates have been intertwined from the very beginning.  Can they trust one another enough to beat their enemy once and for all, or will their past keep them from accepting the greatest gift they’ve ever been offered—Love?

I positively loved these two characters, both individually and together.  Blythe was such a dichotomy with the strength of a goddess and the vulnerability of a woman in mourning, the fears of a woman in the blush of new love and the might of a mother separated from her child.  I truly think Blythe was the best heroine in Gena’s books to date (and I’ve read them all!) and there is no doubt in my mind that she will remain one of my favorites of all time.  Her sass and sarcasm in the face of her pain as she mourned the loss of her consort and battled to avenge him made her hilarious, but I loved how she cared for her daughter and sister even through all that. It is obvious she is a skilled and deadly warrior and that nothing will stop her from reaching her goals when she sets her mind to them, even if that goal was simply making the man she thought was her enemy fall for her. While it definitely broke my heart to see her confusion and heartbreak as she fell in love, letting go of her past and accepting her future, I loved her all the more for accepting that fate and understanding that sometimes we don’t get to pick who we love, love picks us.

Roux is an odd duck, one that makes you want to cry for him, while at the same time hug him until he finally lets go of all his pain.  I enjoyed getting to see into his brain, emotions, and past, and of course seeing him putting the immense effort into wooing his woman.  It was as entertaining as hell to see him losing his heart (among other organs) to the Blythe without fully understanding why and how she affected him so, but being just as determined to do everything in his not inconsiderate powers to keep her safe and by his side.  His strength, dedication, power, and heart were metered by his sweetness, vulnerability and possessiveness.  Some of my favorite moments were when he was humoring Blythe’s daughter and while it might have made him look foolish to his friends, he did everything he could to show the girl that she meant the world to him.  That protective streak and his strong conscience made him a perfect match to Blythe’s out of control craziness and the two of them tempered one another beautifully.  I loved seeing him come to terms not only with his past and his future, but with himself and his own fears, with the help of his girls.

There is always that bit of speculation when I begin a Gena Showalter novel—will she pull out that HEA?  This novel I truly wasn’t sure how she was going to manage it.  Obviously if you’ve read previous novels in the series you’d know the chips were already stacked against them, but then reading the blurb it just became less and less likely in my mind.  But thankfully Gena again pulled out a miracle and we got not only a stellar ending with an HEA, but a story filled with plots twists to rack the brain, epic danger and action, and two people so obviously in love that you wonder why we didn’t see it sooner.  Blythe was the kind of woman that you want to be friends with just because you always wanted someone to get into and out of trouble with.  Strong, sassy, deadly, and loving she is the ultimate female warrior and one you want on your side for sure but definitely NOT as an enemy. On the other hand, Roux is the kind of male that you wonder how the poor guy ever ended up in his life.  It’s obvious that while he is a skilled warrior he truly doesn’t have the heart or mind made to be a killing machine, and he is far from the sociopathic male that we might think he is in the beginning.  I loved seeing these two circle one another and fight their way (and fight each other) through the trials and dangers of their courtship to the passionate mating that they should have always had.  I am DYING for the next book in the series, though I know I’ll have a bit of a wait and I know that whatever comes next for these Astra warriors and the sexy harpies in their midst it’s gonna be one hell of a ride!

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