The Reluctant Bridegroom by Shannon Farrington

Description

Conveniently Wed 

Marriage for any reason but love was once unthinkable to Maryland councilman Henry Nash. But when an innocent encounter with a criminal puts Henry's reputation in jeopardy, he'll make any sacrifice to maintain custody of his orphaned nieces. And an alliance with a powerful politician's daughter could secure the little girls' futures. As long as gentle Rebekah Van der Geld never hears the rumors surrounding her new groom…

Refusing her father's choice of husband wasn't an option for dutiful Rebekah. But Henry's kindness is a happy revelation, and she's quickly falling for his adorable nieces—so she allows herself to hope this unconventional arrangement could become much more. But can it survive a shattering revelation that puts their new family in danger?

Series: Love Inspired Historical

Mass Market Paperback: 288 pages

Publisher: Love Inspired (May 10, 2016)

My review:                          

4 STARS

This story takes place right after the civil war at a interesting period of history.  Lots of drama, historical romance, clean read and Christian story.

Henry Nash  is Maryland councilman.  He is raising his two nieces  who just became orphaned.  His father is in politics too.  Nash was going on his business and was seen talking to some people who later did some wrong things. 

Rebekah Van der Geld is abused.  Her father wants her to marry Henry Nash.  Rebekah really has no choice.  She wants to stretch and have a better marriage than her parents have.  She wants to help others.

I like the story it makes sense.  It shows how hard it is to go from a home of abuse and not keep expecting all men to hit. How little self worth abuse leaves.

I like Henry's faith sometimes weaker but overall he believes and trusts in the Lord. Henry makes a good hero.  I love how he treats his nieces.

I would love to read more books by Shannon Farrington in the future.

I was given this ebook to read for free from NetGalley and Harlequin.  In return I agree to give a honest review of The Reluctant Bridegroom.

Truth and Consequences by Lenora Worth (Rookie K-9 Unit #2)

Description

THE PROTECTOR'S MISSION 

Honoring a promise to a fallen comrade, former army medic David Evans heads to Arizona to check up on the soldier's sister. But as his train pulls into Desert Valley, David witnesses a drug run gone wrong and narrowly avoids the bullets flying his way. And when the police show up, he discovers the investigating officer is the woman he's supposed to look after. With a fiercely protective K-9 partner and a new badge, Whitney Godwin insists she can take care of herself and her infant daughter. But the criminals want both David and Whitney permanently silenced, so David will stop at nothing to protect the family he yearns to join.

• Series: Rookie K-9 Unit
• Mass Market Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Love Inspired; Large Print edition (May 10, 2016)

Rookie K-9 Unit: These lawmen solve the toughest cases with the help of their brave canine partners

My review: Truth and Consequences by Lenora Worth  (Rookie K-9 Unit #2)

4 Stars

So far I have really enjoyed this series.  Truth and Consequences is a real good story.  Lots of drama, action, romance and strong characters.  It is also a clean read.

David Evans is a former army medic.  He has come to Arizona because he gave a friend who was dying his word that he would check on his sister.  He wants to help others.  He witnessed a crime and risked his life to save someone's life.

Whitney Godwin is a rookie K-9 police officer.  She has a baby Shelby.  She feels she has to do extra as a good cop.  She is determined to find out who killed her baby's father.   

David is on the train when he sees two drug dealers knife a man and pull a gun on him.  The first cop to respond to his 911 call is Whitney.  He waits to tell her that she is the reason he is in town.  The drug dealers want to kill David and Whitney because they can idea them.

The overall storyline of the series is That the manager of K-9 police training center is murdered. A benefactor is paying for all the recruits to stay in this small town for a year.  They are to help where needed.  There are two unsolved murders that are attached to the training center.  Plus two other deaths of rookies that were ruled accidents.  Some don't agree and think it is now 4 murders. 

I like how Lenora Worth writes and look forward to reading more of her books in the future.

I was given this ebook to read for free from NetGalley and Harlequin.  In return I agreed to give a honest review of Truth or Consequences.

Web of Secrets by Susan Sleeman (Agents Under Fire #3)

Description

***EXTREMELY ROUGH DRAFT, ADVANCED READING COPY***

A nightmare come true...

Years ago, a fifteen-year-old girl was abducted by a monster. Although she managed to escape, her tormenter was never caught. So the girl was given a new home, a new name...and the determination to save other foster kids from suffering similar horrors.

FBI Agent Becca Lange is in the middle of a credit card fraud investigation when she’s faced with her worst nightmare: a serial killer, van Gogh—given the name because he removed his victims’ ears—has resurfaced. Back in the nineties, van Gogh tortured, then killed several young foster girls. Becca was almost one of them. 

Over the years, Becca’s been keeping her own investigation going. So when the police come to her for help, she’s more than ready to do what it takes to put van Gogh behind bars—even if it means working with Connor Warren, the easy-going cop whose attentions she’s been avoiding. Connor is too charming, too good-looking, too . . . tempting. He makes Becca want things she can never have. And might never have...

Because van Gogh isn’t finished with Becca yet. He’s been searching for her all these years. And now that he’s found her, he’s got a plan to keep her ...forever.

• File Size: 858 KB
• Print Length: 234 pages
• Publisher: Bell Bridge Books (May 13, 2016)

My review:  Web  of Secrets by Susan Sleeman (Agents Under Fire #3)

4 STARS

I have read all three books so far in this series and have enjoyed them.  Web of Secrets fits right in.  They are about 3 FBI Agents who all work in computer crimes.  They are strong female characters.  Web of Secrets is FBI Agent Becca Lange story.

Becca has kept some big secrets she has kept from everyone.  We do know that she has been a foster kid and her foster sister Molly disappeared decades ago.  She fears she was a victim of Van Gogh a serial killer who cut off the ears and murdered foster kids teenage girls.

Becca was almost a victim.  She is a expert on him and kept up on him.  He is now started killing again.

Police detective Connor Warren and Becca have been fighting a attraction to each other but both have been fighting it for different reasons.  Connor has some information on Becca's current computer cards theft and wants to work with her.  When Connor then gets the Van Gogh case and wants to get Becca's information on the case.

In this book their is good mix of cases and personal drama.  I like Becca and Connor and watched them grow closer.  I like how they grow as characters but remains a clean read.  The story works for me on all levels.  

I wonder if Taylor a new member of there FBI team will have a book with her as a main character.  I would want to read it.

You can read any one of the three books alone, but I would read them in order to see how the different relationships start,

I was given this ebook to read for free by NetGalley and Bell Bridge Books.  In return I agreed to give a honest review of Web of Secrets.

Out Rider by Lindsay McKenna

With her return to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, New York Times bestselling author Lindsay McKenna shows how love can find a way out of the darkness… 

A fresh start—that's all Devorah McGuire wants. As a former Marine and current Ranger with the US Forest Service, she's grown accustomed to keeping others safe. But when the unthinkable happens, she can only hope that a transfer to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, will allow her to put the past behind her for good. 

Dev's mentor at Grand Tetons National Park is fellow canine handler and horseman Sloan Rankin. He shows Dev the spectacular trails, never knowing the terror that stalks her every move. Despite her lingering fear, Dev feels an attraction for Sloan as wild as their surroundings. 

With Sloan, Dev can envision a new life—a real home. Unless a vengeful man fresh out of prison succeeds in finishing what he started…

• Print Length: 384 pages
• Publisher: HQN Books (May 1, 2016)
• Publication Date: April 26, 2016

My review:  Out Rider by Lindsay McKenna

3 STARS

I really liked the plot. Devorah has transferred to Jackson Hole,  Wyoming after being stalked at her old job and did not get the help she needed till after she was attacked.  Here Dev meets a lot of friends who welcome her and care about her.

The characters are ones I like and am glad to see a bunch of secondary characters back from previous books.

Devorah McGuire is a Forest ranger.  Her dog is a trained search and rescue dog.

Sloan Rankin see's Dev get a flat tire on her horse trailer and stops to help.  He is a forest ranger too and works on the side too.

Dev and Sloan keep getting thrown together.  Both are drawn together but Dev is leery of men but likes Sloan.

Lots of animals, especially trained dogs.

I did not like all the love scenes. 

I was given this ebook to read for free from NetGalley and Harlequin.  In return I agreed to give a honest review of Out Rider.

The Captive by Julie Coulter Bellon (Griffin Force #1)

The captive by Julie Coulter Bellon (Romantic Suspense)

Former Navy SEAL Jake Williams is the newly appointed head of a task force assigned to rescue a kidnapped American diplomat. Their only hope is Mya Amari, the daughter of a notorious Algerian hostage  negotiator, but she is full of secrets and complications–something Jake takes as a personal challenge. As they grow closer, the threat to the mission escalates and time runs out for the hostages. Can Jake unravel the web of deception to save them all without getting caught in the crossfire?

Mya Amari has been in hiding nearly her entire life to escape her father’s enemies. But when her sister is kidnapped along with an American diplomat, she’ll do anything to bring her home–including walking into the enemy’s lair. She doesn’t trust anyone, especially the too-handsome-for-his-own-good Commander Williams, but when all her careful plans explode out of control, he’s the only one she can turn to with the truth about her family. Is it too little, too late?

• File Size: 2572 KB
• Print Length: 251 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: Stone Hall Books (December 14, 2015)

My review: The Captive by Julie Coulter Bellon (Griffin Force #1)

4 STARS

First book in a new series that I want to read the next book.  This is full of drama, action,  mystery and romance suspense.   It is a clean read but does have some violence.

A US diplomat and his translator has been kidnapped.  Terrorists want money and  prisoners to trade for him.

Mya Amari is a lawyer in Canada.  She has been asked to help to get her father involved to help mediate with the terrorists.  She has not seen her father since she left  Algeria.

Jake Williams is a former US Navy Seal.  He has been called in and asked to lead a team to get the diplomat home.  He has also been asked to keep Mya safe.

The danger happens before they even get on the plane.  You are not sure who to trust.  Jake and Mya to not get along off the bat.  I love watching this story unfold.  It keeps you wanting to find out what will happen next.

I was given this ebook to read for free in exchange of a honest review.

Review: Supernatural Freak by Louisa Klein

Supernatural Freak by Louisa Klein
*mild language, some innuendo (no sex)

When paranormal expert Robyn Wise is offered an outrageous sum of money to cure a boy who is turning into a dead tree, she’s very sceptical. A politician ready to pay that much to make his son stop growing branches instead of hair? Come on! She’s more likely to be abducted by aliens. This is a trap. Or much worse. And, of course, it’s much worse.

The child is turning into a dark portal, created by a powerful entity determined to absorb Fairyland’s power. This means that not only queen Titania and her court are in danger, but the very balance of the magic fluxes.

She’d rather stick a pencil in her own eye, but to learn how to destroy the portal, she has to sneak into the Wizardry Council, a place full of wizards who are hiding something—though it’s certainly not their dislike of Robyn.

There, she discovers a secret that could help to overthrow Fairyland’s enemies for good, a secret that puts her in the midst of an ancient and deadly war, and not as a bystander, but as the main target.

An action-packed yet romantic urban fantasy where Harry Potter meets Nancy Drew meets The Dresden Files, meets Darkest Powers meets Buffy The Vampire Slayer!

• File Size: 1866 KB
• Print Length: 199 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: Lost in Fiction (November 14, 2012)

My review:  Supernatural Freak by Louisa Klein 

3 1/2 Stars 

Interesting story!  I had no idea where the story was going to go next.  Starts out strong right into action with a werewolf chase of Robyn the main character. The book moves pretty fast paced with more chases, fights, magic. 

There is ghosts, wizards, demons, shamon, evil monsters, fairies are just some of the characters you will find in the story.

There is swearing in the book.  I am tired of reading F bombs.

The names bothered me. Too much general names. For example the uncle almost always calls her niece. Robin's roommates are the geeks. ghost.

Robyn Wise is a paranormal with some unique skills.  She is asked to help a boy who is turning into a tree.  She thinks it is a joke or a trap because someone is trying to kill her.

I could see this book being the start to a new series because she has only found a few of the good guys there are more out there she needs to find.  If she does I would like to read the book.

I was offered this book free in exchange for a honest review of Supernatural Freak.

Elementals 2: The Blood of the Hydra by Michelle Madow

demigod who can kill with a touch. It's an ability that must be kept secret, even from those trusted most.

Finding out that she was a witch was strange enough, but now Nicole must face the realization that she has the rare power to kill with just a touch. No one can know her secret -- not even Blake, who she's had undeniable chemistry with since first moving to town.

Now Nicole, Blake, and the three others with elemental powers must journey abroad to stop a series of monsters that they previously believed to be dead from rising once again and destroying the mortal world. Will they all survive the quest? And how long will it be until Nicole is forced to use her ability to kill in front of everyone, revealing the true darkness of her powers?

Find out in The Blood of the Hydra, and join the Elementals on their mission to save the world -- or die trying.

My review: Elementals 2: The Blood of the Hydra by Michelle Madow

4 STARS

This is the second book of the series.  It is best to read the  series in order.  I read the first book yesterday and I would start the third book right now if it was out.  I like this series so far.  It is a clean YA, fantasy that i hated to put down.

It is full of drama, witches, demigods, Greek gods, monsters and teenage angst.  5 teenagers have to fight monsters and save the world.

Nicole is the main character.  She just found out that witches are real they are descended from Greek gods.  She was told she is one.  She can heal people.  She likes Blake but thinks they can't be together.

Blake just got fire element. Kate is earth element, Chris is air element and Danielle is water element.  The five of them received the powers during a comet.  They are the only witches to have the powers.  Most witches only have mental powers not physical powers.  They are to go on a quest to stop the monsters and the Titans from raising again.

I like the world building.  The different choices they have to make.  It all works together to believe and get lost in the story.

These are the first two books that I have read by Michelle Madow but I look forward to reading more books by her in the future.

I got this book on Kindle Unlimited.