Short and Sweet Book Reviews #11

Still on cruise ship with slow and expensive internet.  No covers and no links.

The Syndicate by Sophie Davis – This is a fun and quirky time travel book.  A great mix of characters that make up the world of the Syndicate.  The world in this book is 1925 Paris and as I read I could picture the people and places as if I was there.  Most of the world building takes place in Paris and is part of the story line.  The rest is kept simple and part of the back story.  The plot starts out as a very simple find and retrieve but quickly becomes more complex and dangerous.  It was fun seeing how the characters were going to solve some of the problems.  A great start to a new time travel series.

Bright Blaze of Magic by Jennifer Estep- YA paranormal with a touch of romance.  Bright Blaze of Magic is book three in the Black Blade Series.  All of the familiar characters are back.  Devon, Felix, Deah, Oscar, the Draconi’s and of course Lila, the main characters in the series, are busy fighting danger.  The back story and world building were done in books one and two so it is best to start there.  The story here is fact moving and full of unexpected twists and turns.  A exciting addition to the series and while one big problem is taken care of there are sure to be more exciting adventures for the entire crew.

Short and Sweet Book Reviews #10

Still on cruise ship with slow and expensive internet.  No covers and no links.

Discovering You (Whiskey Creek) by Brenda Novack – Discovering You goes back to Dylan Amos and his family.  This time it is one of his brothers and his new neighbor who have to work to find their HEA.  India Sommers and Rod Amos meet when she moves in and from there things are quick to hear up and not just in the romance department.  Another great story with interesting characters.   The  best part there are still Amos brothers who have not found the right person so there are still stories left to tell.

Cast in Angelfire (The Mage Craft Series #1) by S.M. Reine – Marion Garin does not remember who or what she is.  What she does know is that she needs to find Seth Wilder. Wilder on the other hand has been missing for years.  Instead she is found by Dr. Lucas Flynn.  With a large bounty for killing Marion, people who are not what they seem and having to run for her life the story gets exciting very fast.  Much of the action in the story is used for world building and back story.  While Marion and Lucas start as the main characters others who add richness to the plot join them.  There are more twists and turns.  There is a world changed from what we know.  The paranormal has become common place.  All add to an exciting story that ends with much still left in the dark.  Book two Cast in Hellfire will continue the story.

The Marshals Justice (Appaloosa Pass Ranch #2)  by Delores Fossen -  A nice story with good characters and more than a hint of mystery.  There is a scene stealer baby, a mix of characters both good and bad and a lot of tension.  All in all a nice addition to the series.

Chains of Command (Frontlines) by Marko Kloos – While Earth was saved in the last book it is still facing a big threat. The Lanky are still sending seed ships and they still hold Mars.  The plot revolves around the need to retake Mars.  Everything comes together in a danger filled expedition.  The plot has some interesting turns.  The main characters return and a few new ones are added.  This is a good addition to the series.  It does solve one problem but leaves a bigger one hanging.  This is a very good Military Science Fiction series.  Start at the first book for maximum enjoyment.

Cowboy All Night (Thunder Mountain Brotherhood) by Vicki Lewis Thompson – Another of the Thunder Mountain Boys arrives back home and finds romance and love.  This time it is Brant Ellison.  Once back he meets Aria Danes.  They seem to be opposites but of course opposites attract. This was a quick fun read with a lot of sex.  I did think that the character development would have been better if they spent more time with their clothes on than with them off.  Sex is great but the relationship  just needed a little more than sex to seem complete.

Short and Sweet Book Review # 9

Still on cruise ship with expensive and slow Internet.  No links and no covers.  I have quite a few free books that are the first in a series on my Kindle.  I have been  reading them on sea days.  You will see several of them in the list below.

Keir’s Fall (Book Two of Redemption) by Pippa Jay – This is book two in the trilogy but it can be read as a stand alone.  Keir and Quin have spent a peaceful year on their island home but things are about to change.  Quin is not feeling well and when they leave to get her checked out things begin to go wrong.  Keir’s Fall has several high tension points and just when you think things are about to work out something else bad happens.  There is a lot of action and danger in the story.  Keir and Quin have to face things that might destroy their love and their marriage.  A good addition to the series and a complete story that can stand alone.

The Dark of Light (Shield of the Starhawke Book One) by Audrey Sharpe – This is the first book Sharpe has published and it is very good.  The characters are great.  The world building and the back-story both are worked in and keep the plot moving.  There is a bit of a mystery in the relationship between several of the characters.  Aurora Hawke and Jonarel have a long history but there is a bit of a guessing in what their relationship really is.  Both have shared secrets. Then there is Cade who has a past history with Aurora.  There are also several other great supporting characters in the book.  The adventure for the crew of the Starhawke is just starting and I look forward to the next book in the series.

Allies and Enemies: Fallen by Amy J. Murphy – Commander Sela Tyron knows her place.  She is one of many who are born and shaped to be soliders.  Captain Jon Veradin is the opposite.  He is one of the elite and an officer.  They work well together and when someone decides that Jon must be arrested and killed Sela plans a jail break.  From there things become very complicated.  Jon needs to rescue his sister.  That paints a bigger target on their backs.  Then a secret that will change Jon’s life is revealed and the danger becomes even worse.  Allies and Enemies is a very well structured story with great action, tension and characters.  This is book one and I look forward to next book in the series.

The Brands who came for Christmas by Maggie Shayne – This is book one in the Oklahoma Brands series.  This group of Brands are all females and sisters.   Each has their own unique personality and the story highlights the differences while telling the story of the oldest.  Maya and Caleb are soul mates but it does take them some time to realize it.  They have a time getting to their HEA and I had a great time reading their story.

The Thames River Murders (Captain Lacey Regency Mysteries) by Ashley Gardner – Captain Lacey is once again drawn into a mystery that brings all the wonderful characters together once again.  We get to see more of the interaction between Lacey and his new wife.  While they are often going their separate ways working together on the new mystery is something that makes their marriage much stronger.  There is a cliffhanger at the end so I will be looking for the next addition to the series. 

Texas Roots(The Gallaghers of Sweetgrass Springs #1) by Jean Bashear – Scarlett Ross is on the run.  That run brings her to Sweetgrass Spring to meet a grandmother she did not know she had.  What she finds is a wonderful grandmother and a very sexy Texas cowboy named Ian McLarne.  She longs to stay but does not want her trouble to come to Sweetgrass Springs.  Look for tension and danger and a wonderful romance.  A great story with wonderful characters.

Return to Me and Remember Me (Storm Lords Books 1 and 2) by Nina Croft  - Both have great heroes and wonderful women who love them.  The only problem.   It has been 2000 years and a lot of rebirths for the women and they do not remember the men they loved and the men cannot tell them anything about their past.  Both are good stories.  The worldbulding is good and the back-story works into the plot seamlessly.  There are several more stories in the series

Short and Sweet Book Reviews #8

Still on cruise ship with slow and expensive internet.  No links, no covers

Lone Star Nights by Delores Fossen – Lucky is the second McCord brother to decide to change his life and settle down.  It takes a hand from the grave to bring about the change.  Cassie has her own past to try to get over.  It takes two children and a lot of love to get them to their HEA.  Book three will be out in October of 2016 and will feature the third and last McCord brother, Logan.

Other World Renegade by Jane Godman – This is the first time I have read a book published by this Harlequin imprint.  It is part of a series and was an interesting read.   Locan Malone is a interesting character  and one that is full of Irish blarney but when Tanzi finds that she needs help getting away from her Father he is the one she turns to.  I loved their journey.  Backstory and worldbulding were done in previous books.  There was enough to let me keep reading but I did feel the lack when Locan and Tanzi interact with other characters.

Kingston 691: Cyborgs: Mankind Redefined #2 by Donna McDonald – This is book two in the series and the first one I have read.  I think it would have been much better if I had read book one first.  I did like the two main characters.  Kingston is really struggling with the changes in his life and finding a hole in his memories is not helping.  His time with Seetha is what is missing.  They have a nice story.  I wanted more time between then before the HEA but it was a given they would get together.  There is a set up for the next book in the series.  It is one I will follow.

Short and Sweet Reviews #7

I am still on cruise ship with slow internet so no links and no covers.

Summer Moon (A Celtic Wolves Novel) by Jan DeLima – When I purchased Summer Moon I thought I had read book one but it turned out I was mistaken.  I did not have trouble with Summer Moon, book 2.  It works well as a stand-alone.  I like both Rosa and Luc.  They were great characters.  I did not like Luc’s late wife that much.  She came across as very selfish and even 100 years later was causing trouble.  There is a HEA for Rosa and Luc but no resolution to the main problem.  That leaves a lot of room for future novels in the series.

Windswept by Adam Rukunas – I met Adam at World Con and promised to review if I liked his book.  It took me longer to get round to reading it but here is the review promised.  This is a big sweeping story that has a lot of world building and back story.  Padma Mehta is the main character and she carries the story.  Nothing is as Padma thinks and as she realizes what is really going on the story takes off.  Look for tension and many surprises.  The supporting characters are great and add depth to the story.  A great read for any Science Fiction fans.

Touch the Dark (A Cassie Palmer Novel) by Karen Chance – I kept seeing sequels in the Cassie Palmer series.  Each looked interesting so I found book one so I could start at the beginning.  Touch the Dark introduces Cassie and other very interesting characters.  The story moves slowly because of the intense world building and back story.  It made for a lot of reading with no dialog or action.  There is a lot of action and tension in the story line.  Nothing is solved at the end but everything is set for future books.  I will continue to read the series.

Short and Sweet Reviews #6

Still on cruise with slow internet so no links or covers.

The Duke’s Accidental Wife by Erica Ridley – The last in the Dukes of War series.  Each of the two main characters have hidden secrets.  For Katherine Ross it is something she saw in her past.  The Duke of Ravenwood wears a mask in public hiding the real man.  When the two are forced into marriage they have a lot to work through.  A great ending to the series.  It can stand alone but is better if you have read the entire series.

Beyond Tomorrow by Alan David – This is a reissue from the 1975 and the age shows.  The entire story leads up to the punch line.  The problem; the punch line is no surprise.  Read this only if you know that you may be disappointed at the end.

Titianborn by Rhett C. Bruno – A great main characters who has not lived that great a life.  His one great accomplishment is his daughter who he has not seen for years.  All of the action leads up to his reunion with that daughter.  A well written story with a surprise ending.