ARC Review: Chance (Ghost Ops #2)

Chance (Ghost Ops #2)

Lynn Raye Harris

Blurb:

Aurora Harper doesn’t like Chance Hughes. He’s too handsome, too charismatic, and he’s a player. She’s had enough of players in her life after her fiancé left her for a bridesmaid three weeks before the wedding.

Been there, done that, not doing it again. But Rory let down her guard.

She and Chance spent two hot weeks together after Rory nearly died at the hands of a madman. Chance was part of the team that found her, and he stayed by her side from the moment she was freed until she kicked him out of her house when she came to her senses.

That should have been the end of it… until one line on a plastic stick changes her life forever.

Thanks to a tragic childhood, Ghost Ops soldier Chance doesn’t believe in the kind of love that lasts. There’s always been something about Rory that drew him to her, but they’re like oil and water. It’s not meant to be and it’s not worth fighting for.

But then Chance learns Rory’s pregnant at the same time someone starts sabotaging her home and business. There’s not a force on this earth that can stop Chance from unleashing the warrior inside and ending the threat to his woman and child.

Because they are his. And he’s going to prove it to her, even if it takes his very last breath to do so…

Themes:  Contemporary

Rating: 4.5 stars

Heat Rating: 

Review:

I have really been looking forward to this second book in the Ghost Ops series, basically since the last word of the first story, but I never realized that Lynn would smack us with the story she did because WOW. I am a huge fan of pretty much anything that Ms. Harris releases, but her new Ghost Ops series follows our favorite second-in-command as he takes leadership of his own group of six badasses in a mission that could mean the end of the world as we know it if they fail.  Chance Hughes is one of the operators that has to succeed in his mission, but he also has a new personal mission as he finds his heart and soul taken over by the fiery and beautiful Aurora Harper.  The two of them have a lot of obstacles to go over, not the least of which is Rory’s own insecurities, but Chance is determined to make her his woman and win her heart, but keeping her safe might turn out to be the most important mission for him. With enemies coming out of the woodwork and danger around every corner Rory and Chance have to trust one another explicitly and find a way to work together if they have any chance at a future. I loved every minute of this story and with the epilogue leaving us hanging in a big way about another character’s survival, Seth (coming soon) will be a nailbiter and I cannot wait.  Lynn has another winner with Chance as far as I’m concerned.

Aurora “Rory” Harper has not had an easy course in life, but she refuses to let any barriers keep her from living her life on her terms or meeting the goals she set for herself. She has her farm, her family business, and had two beautiful weeks with the sexy man that intrigued her to no end, but she has moved on and wants to just keep living her life—but fate has other plans for them. Now with a new addition to her life, one that will forever link her to Chance Hughes, Rory has to change the direction of her life and the property developers hassling her to sell her family farm aren’t helping her stress levels. Chance loved every moment he has spent with Rory, both in bed and out, but the woman pushed him away and he still isn’t really sure why, but when he discovers not only that she is in danger, but that she is carrying their child, there is no way he is leaving her to go it alone.  However, the more time they spend together, with Chance showing her how much he cares for her and Rory seeing that not all men will use her and leave her, the closer they come to losing their hearts forever. As dangerous enemies surround and threaten Rory and Chance puts everything into protecting her, they have to decide if they are going to take a chance on a future while Chance has to break through the walls around Rory’s heart, all without allowing the enemy to get the best of them.

Usually, I have to say that the characters in Ms. Harris’s novels are instant ones I fall in love with, but Rory drove me up the wall with her stubbornness and the titanium fortress she had built around her heart.  I understand having insecurities (boy, do I), but she simply REFUSED to see the beauty of the man right in front of her and accept the gift she was being given, despite the evidence right in front of her.  Rory has been hurt in the past, abandoned and mistreated, to be sure, but she’s also got so many people that love and support her, and she doesn’t look past her hangups and fears in order to see all the people that love her.  I loved Rory’s fire, sass, wit, and willingness to do whatever it takes for those she loves, but her detachment from Chance and unwillingness to open her heart for the longest time really made me want to slap her far too often.  It wasn’t until she finally began to accept his love and see that he would be devoted to her and their child, truly being a part of their lives that I really began to like her and see she could be a match for Chance. I have to say though that Chance is one of my favorite heroes in a while; he was sweet, sexy, protective, but he also knew his woman and understood that in order to keep her and make a life with her he had to work around her and cut through her BS in order to get her to let him in.   While some might say he was pushy, I admire his persistence, his need to keep pushing and showing her that he was going to be there for whatever she needed no matter how hard she pushed him away.  He stood by her, offered his support, learned how to care for her without steamrolling her, but didn’t let her lie to either of them when she tried to find reasons they would never work.  I loved Chance and would enjoy seeing more men (in fiction and real life) just like him, football obsession and all.

It's not everyday that we find the kind of partner that will call us on our BS, protect us from danger and our own doubts, and be there for us every step of the way as we battle through the daily crap of living. Chance is the story of two people that find one another through all the drama and danger, finally coming out the other side with the realization that their love is strong enough to beat any threat. Rory’s heart has been badly bruised, but thankfully her spirit hasn’t been broken and when she finds the strength to slowly trust, Chance shows her that he will heal her and always be there for her.  Her fierce need to protect herself and those she loves to give her an inner strength that could be standup to any obstacle and her sweet, loving nature makes her the quintessential southern woman in my opinion once she opens her heart to share her love with Chance.  Chance is an amazingly open and sweet man, one that locked eyes on Rory and never seemed to be able to get her out of his mind or heart.  Once he learns the gift fate has given them, he goes all in and determines that he will break down her walls and shows her he will be everything she needs in a partner for the rest of their lives.  The blazing passion between these two has been obvious from the first moment they met in the previous book, and it never wanes as their loves grows in their story.  I am looking forward to watching their relationship develop even more as their future develops in future novels.  Seth should be one heck of a story as it seems like Seth will have his heart stolen by a woman that is suspected of being in league with enemies and is definitely in danger.  I am loving this new spinoff series and cannot wait for the full series to be done, because I am betting, we won’t get Ghost’s book until last (cries a bit), but until then, I will enjoy each new release as we get it from Ms. Harris.

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

ARC Review: A Very Merry Hitman (Holiday With a Hitman #2)

A Very Merry Hitman (Holiday With a Hitman #2)

Katie Reus

Blurb:

She’s surrounded by hitmen…

Aileen’s parents, brother and all her neighbors have unconventional jobs to say the least. So she’s surrounded by hitmen. Is it a little strange? Sure, but so is she. And lately she finds herself looking at one of her neighbors in a new light. When the single mom asks him for a teeny tiny favor—to help her after years of being celibate—he shuts down. So she decides to throw herself back out there and start dating again.

And he’s the most intimidating of them all…

Dante has wanted Aileen for as long as he can remember, but because of her past trauma, he’s always considered her off-limits. When two different Santas try to rob her in a matter of days, then all bets are off. Something weird is going on, so he does what any good hitman would do—he takes over her protection detail. He’ll keep her under his roof, in his arms, and hopefully in his bed, while ending any and all threats to her. Too bad her nosy family keeps getting in his way. It may be the most wonderful time of the year, but danger is about to find them all.

Themes:  Holiday, Contemporary

Rating: 4 stars

Heat Rating: 

Review:

I was so thrilled when I learned we would be getting a second story around these hitmen because after last year’s holiday story I knew I would kill for another one (sorry I had to do it). Katie Reus is one of those authors that can make the most ridiculous sounding premise into the perfect story and really, an entire community of hitmen… Who would ever believe that could be true? But she manages to make you believe it and actually fall in love with these killers and want to read their romances and see how they celebrate the holidays and build their families. She really does understand the human psyche. This newest story in the Holiday With a Hitman series revolves around a woman that was once brutalized and lost a piece of herself while gaining a beautiful child from it and the man that has lost his heart to her finally seeing one another clearly and finding love.  Aileen is determined to reclaim her life, beginning with her sexuality and she feels the best way to do that is with the one man she trusts and is attracted to, but when she finally works up the nerve to ask her neighbor Dante to be her lover she feel he rejects her and runs scared. Dante has wanted Aileen for YEARS but is stunned when she asks him to be her lover and before he can make head or tails of her request, she runs from him.  Now they are stuck in a weird limbo and strange things are happening around them including Aileen trying to date other men and Santas attacking Aileen.  Danta is determined to now only protect the woman he loves but to finally get her into his bed and make her understand that she is his irrevocably. Aileen had no idea the depth of Dante’s feelings for her but now she is faced with a dangerously aroused hitman on her tail (quite literally) and she’s not quite sure she is ready for everything coming at her but is they can’t figure out everything going on around them it might be a moot point.  Can a community of hitmen protect one single mother in time to give a hitman the time to convince her that she is love of his life and give them all the Christmas gift of a Happily Ever After?

I positively LOVED this story, so much was happening at any one moment that I could not put the book down and there was no way to stop reading for sleep.  Aileen was such a survivor, having gotten past the one trauma that no woman should be forced to live through, then having even more at the hands of her tormenter.  But she’s made a beautiful, if not full, life out of it with her daughter and her family, but she wants to finally reclaim the broken part of herself.  She knows that Dante is the one man that she can trust with her body and goes to him and when he admits his feelings immediately accepts that she too feels deeply for him.  While you might think she is fragile because she isn’t a killer like the others around her, she is strong, sassy, sweet, and witty, I loved watching her stand up for herself and demand she be treated as an equal. Dante is the perfect alpha, strong and protective of the woman –and little girl—he claims as his, even if only in his heart but he never gives her reason to distrust her or fear her. I loved seeing him walk the tightrope of his dominant and strong personality without being overbearing (even if he slipped sometimes) as he protected Aileen and shows her how much he loves her.  He is smart, dedicated, willing to do anything including kill to protect those he loves, but he never pretends to be more than he is which is a badass hitman.  I loved their chemistry and the attraction between them burned bright every second they were together or even just thinking about one another.  I look forward to seeing their relationship in future books in this series (hint hint) because I hope to continue to see new installments each holiday season from Katie because this series is certainly one that is unique and worth every word.

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

ARC Mini Review: Just One More Mistletoe (The Sterling Family Book #3)

 Just One More Mistletoe (The Sterling Family Book #3)

Carly Phillips

Blurb:

What happens under the mistletoe stays under the mistletoe...

Brandy Bloom plans to seduce the man of her dream at an office Christmas party but finds herself kissing his twin, instead. One night only is her plan but Max Corbin has other ideas. The sexy elf who kissed him under the pretend mistletoe is a special woman he has no plans of letting go.

Themes:  Holiday Novella

Rating: 3.75 stars

Heat Rating:

Review:

 What is better for a chilly autumn evening that a heartwarming and sexy novella from one of your favorite authors? Well, I can tell you that this new addition to the Carly Phillips lineup is one that will light your fires and keep you warm while also giving you a reminder of why we love the Sterling family and their friends so much as we wait for the next addition to their series. Brandy Bloom is the assistant to Samantha Dare and she is getting ready for a new venture in life as she moves with Samantha to the new office of their PR firm now that Samantha is happily married to Dex Sterling. But before she moves on, she is determined to finally put the moves on her sexy coworker at their office Christmas party—but little does she know that his gorgeous twin is going to be even more enticing.  When Max Corbin’s twin brother Stephen invited him to his office party, he isn’t sure why he agreed to show up, but Max’s life changes forever when he sees the beautiful and alluring elf under the tree, and he is determined to make her his own.  Brandy and Max soon discover that their attraction is so much more than just chemistry and the pull between them is going to mean more for their futures than they could have ever imagined—if they can let go of their fears and embrace the Christmas gift that has fallen into their laps. I absolutely loved this story of instant attraction, sweet lust, and a love that neither of these two ever wanted or expected that we can see is going to develop into something beautiful.  While the story might seem familiar due to familiar tropes, Carly as always makes her characters unique and gives them such life that you can’t help but fall in love with them.  Brandy has so many issues and fears that you feel for her immediately and are rooting for Max to get a chance to heal her heart even as you want her to open her mind.  Max is a great character, one of those guys that has taken far to long to see the light and is finally finding his way in the world, but that you know if going to be a great partner for Brandy.  I am looking forward to seeing more of them in future Sterling Family stories and hope their holiday passion leads to a lifelong love.  Thanks for the holiday loving, Carly.

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

ARC Mini-Review: The Bastard King (The Bastard Duology #1)

The Bastard King (The Bastard Duology #1)

Donna Grant

Blurb:

With just one fiery embrace I could destroy her…or love her until the end of time.

I am fire and death. My very presence brings terror and panic. For most, I am the last thing they will ever see. For there is only one thing I live for — freeing my kin.

Every action, every battle brings me a step closer. Nothing distracts me from my purpose.

Until she crosses my path.

Brave and fearless, she holds me utterly enthralled. I have to know her. Her past and her future. But especially the secrets she keeps closely guarded.

One taste of her lips, and I’m caught. Trapped. Seized. The more I’m with her, the harder it is to leave. But I have sworn allegiance to another who promises to free the dragons.

Her or my kin. It was once an easy choice.

Before my heart got involved.

Themes:  Paranormal, Dragons

Rating: 4.25 stars

Heat Rating: 

Review:

Trigger Warning: for those of us that HATE cliffhangers, be warned, if you’re a bit of a dummy like me and didn’t realize that when Donna said Duology she meant CLIFFHANGER… yeah well she did. Moving on….

While I didn’t really know what to expect going into this story, because we are not told in advance who the H/h will be in this one I was thrilled to meet new characters and returned to the land of Zora and learn more about the challenges and dangers that the Dragon Kings and their mates have been working to overcome.   Donna Grant jumps right into the story with our heroine getting herself into trouble, but also unknowingly running into our Hero and beginning the greatest adventure of her life and kicking off the most dangerous mission either of them have ever faced.  Derek is a dragon shifter, the last of his kind free from capture and is working to free his people but he is more and more questioning his allies and meeting the sexy and intriguingly secretive Kora only makes him question more. Kora is the last of her kind and she has finally accepted her responsibility to destroy the Star Person responsible for all the woes on Zora and that issued the kill orders for her family long ago.  Determined to succeed in her mission to kill Villette finally, Kora will work with the very devil, but giving her trust to Derek is a whole other notion, but the more time they spend together giving into the instant attraction makes it harder to resist. Once her secret, her very identity, is revealed Kora has to trust Derek with all of her secrets, even though he continues to hide his own, but there is more going on in their world than either of them can imagine.  There is another player that is out there and they both have to decide if they can trust this player, or it might just mean not only their deaths, but total destruction for two worlds and the end of the Kings. 

I loved this story; despite the fact it ended in a cliffhanger that we now have to wait MONTHS to get a proper ending for—and let me tell you my biggest pet peeve in romance is cliffhangers.  Derek is one of those characters that you just feel for, so dedicated to his mission that he has kept his head down and plowed through, but now he can no longer deny that things are not adding up.  He wants so badly to believe that his allies aren’t evil, but the more he learns the more he comes to understand that he knows nothing of his world.  I loved his passionate nature; how protective and sweet he was with Kora and the way he was willing to sacrifice for her even before he understood how much he loved her.  Kora was awesome, despite her fears and hangups she is determined to help those she feels are in needs, but she really needs to learn to plan and think ahead better for sure.  I loved the truth of her identity and that when she finally accepts herself she begins to find her own footing in life and battle.   I hated seeing the way she was forced to deal with hit after hit as Derek’s secrets were uncovered, but her ability to love and forgive is obviously unlimited, along with her wit, and loving heart, making her the perfect match for her Dragon.  Donna Grant certainly took us on an all new and different kind of adventure with this story, turning the truths we knew about the past on its ear and expanding our minds.  I am dying for the conclusion to this duology to learn what happens with Kora and Derek and REALLY hope that they get their HEA, but there will have to be some serious work for all the crap that they caused to be fixed.  All I can say is Dang, Donna has done is again!

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

ARC Review: Second Chance Husband (First Time #3)

Second Chance Husband (First Time #3)

Carrie Ann Ryan

Blurb:

The First Time series concludes with an enemies to lovers romance that has been a long time coming. August and Paisley finally figure out what they’ve been missing.

The first time I got married, I watched the man I love walk away from me.

The second time around, I’m the one signing the dotted line first—this one a man who I realized I never loved.

Once burned, twice broken, I’m done looking for love.

Only my first ex-husband seems to be everywhere I turn—at my work, with my friends, and eventually…in my bed.

I didn’t mean for it to happen.

Twice.

But I know if I don’t protect my heart, there will be nothing left of me if he walks away again without telling me why he did so in the first place.

I don’t know if I can trust this new version of ourselves or if it’s merely the heat between us striking hot.

After all, second chances only exist in my dreams.

And there’s no such thing as a second chance husband.

Themes:  Contemporary

Rating: 4.5 stars

Heat Rating: 

Review:

I am always sad to see a series end, but when an ending is one that we have been dying for, because the couple has so long deserved their happiness, you look forward to it in a way enough that its worth the ending.  Carrie Ann Ryan has such a way with her characters that it always amazes me just how invested I get in the lives of the chacacters, almost as if they are truly my friends and when they finally all get their HEAs and find their way to a future that we all want and deserve I can’t help but shed a tear.  Paisley and August have been destined to end up (back) together for almost a decade and to finally get a chance for them to have that I beyond thrilled to experience and get to share. For those that have been following the series, Paisley and August have been circling one another and hiding their true feeling ever since they were reintroduced when August’s brother and Paisley’s best friend fell in love in book one, but the more their lives were entwined and they found themselves together, the harder it has become to deny their feelings for one another, and now with their lives changing again they are faced with the decision of either admitting their feelings for one another or giving up once and for all and walking away from everything they could have.  I am sad to see the ending for them, but I hope to get glimpses of their future in coming series where their extended friend group might be mixing with other family members so we get to experience their happy times with them. 

Timing truly is everything in this story; Paisley is walking away from her marriage this time, knowing that it is toxic for her and that despite the fact that it makes her feel like a failure it will be better for her in the end.  When she finds herself single again and entangled with the Cassidy clan even more, it becomes even harder to resist the sexy, and also once again single, August, her first ex-husband and the only man she has ever loved.  August knows that it is stupid to give into the feelings that he has for Paisley, but he also cannot walk away from the look in her eyes, or the way she makes him feel when they finally give into their needs.  But when he is faced with a chance at a future he has to decide if he has enough courage to actually embrace a future with the woman he loves or if they are both better off alone.  However, this time Paisley isn’t going to let him off without a fight, because she isn’t a young girl with fear of abandonment and will push for the man she loves and the future she wants. Because she knows that second chances don’t come around every day and they are worth every moment of blood, sweat and tears.

I positively loved every moment of getting to know Paisley and August’s full story, even some of the back story of their first round of love and marriage even though it was heartbreaking. Paisley is the type of woman that most of us wish we had grown up to be, but we got to see the darkness of her past that led to the drive that pushed her so hard and I can personally tell you that pain is not worth how hard she had to fight for her success.  While it is possible that she would have just as hard a worker without her b**ch of a mother riding her back and essentially being an abuser, having to listen to Paisley relive how she was treated made me almost happy for my own mother’s narcissistic indifference.  She finally finds her bravery to push away all the toxicity in her life and take back her strength and in doing so finds that she is all the stronger and bolder for it.  I loved how sweet she was with her nieces and that she is determined to support everyone else despite so often not having the support she needs in life.  She is smart, savvy, witty, sexy and I loved watching her kick ass when she took her stand.  August was the kind of protector that some of us never know that we need, but for sure I wanted to slap him for his ridiculous insecurities and unwillingness to see the full picture of the woman in front of him.  He made an unwise decision, a few times, that almost cost him the woman he loved more than life, but when he finally comes to understand his mistakes, I forgive him his stupidity.  I loved that he was so sweet and such a loving member of his family, determined to stand as the protector, even for his siblings against his parents.  His intelligence and the way he connects with his students would definitely have made him my favorite teacher had I been one of those kids (not to mention I bet all the girls crush on him).

Second Chance Husband is undeniably the story of two people that found one another too young and made a mistake of walking away from a love that was fated, but they thankfully get a second chance, one they earn this time.  I enjoyed every moment of the push and pull between Paisley and August as they found their footing in their new romance and watching them battle it out to force one another to accept their new roles in love and life.  Paisley Cassidy Renee is by no means a weak woman and when she finally remembers that she forces those around her to accept it as well and finds a way to get her man back—the one she should never have allowed to walk away from her. August Cassidy was an idiot to have ever pushed the love of his life away—twice—but his fears and mistakes are what make him human, and when she makes him own up to the stupidity he is reminded just why he has always loved her. Together these two could have started a wildfire to threaten the very dense forest of the Colorado mountains, but that passion is obviously what made both of their marriages fated. I am so glad that they finally found a way to admit that they were destined for one another and got their second chance at an HEA, one that I can see them working hard to always protect and nurture, one that will grow and change with them and their family long into the future.  Carrie Ann Ryan for sure brought this series to an end with a tearful, loving, and love overdue conclusion that will never be forgotten.  

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