The Fire of Home

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A scandalous homecoming...
When Amy Layton’s family learned she planned to steal her sister’s fiancé, Amy left home in disgrace. But in 1922, she returns to Powell Springs to escape the violent man she married. Despite the town’s gossip, Amy is determined to rebuild her shattered life with the boardinghouse she inherited…and little else.
A terrible secret...
Deputy sheriff Baxter Duncan senses there’s more to Amy, his new landlady, than the rumors claim. Yet Bax respects her privacy. After all, a painful secret haunts him, too. And now that he’s found a future in Powell Springs, he refuses to let his dark and wretched past destroy everything he’s built.
A redemptive journey...
As Amy struggles to make amends with her family, she finds a kindred spirit in Bax. But just as they begin to trust each other, a new visitor arrives in town—and this person knows enough to ruin them both. After so much pain, can Amy and Bax still fight for their dreams…and win? 

Review
****Montlake Romance, via NetGalley, provided me with a complimentary ARC of this book for an honest review***
Everyone has a past. Sometimes it's full of laughter and joy, and sometimes it's full of things you wish you could take back. Amy Layton knows all about past regrets, she left home to elope with a man who didn't have her heart, to run from the family and friends she hurt with her selfishness. She's spent the last few years living with the consequences of her actions and hiding the bruises of a man who said all the right things in the beginning. When she has no choice but to return to Powell Springs she learns just what it's like to be from a small town that never forgets your sins, but this may be they only second chance she ever gets.
Baxter Duncan has made a new life for himself in a new town. His past is behind him and his dreams of the future are becoming possible again. One run in with an infuriating woman when he's trying to be neighborly throws his whole world on it's axis and he finds his past coming crashing into his present in the town he hoped to call home for good. The only thing that may save them both is each other.
This story had me feeling so many things and even a little teary-eyed as early as 14%. I love the feeling of when a book stays with you, and The Fire of Home certainly did. The writing was engaging. The transfer between point of views was clear but smooth and easy to read. The writing addicting and seemingly flawless brought to life a world that I felt instantly transported to. It was a little more innocent than what I normally read, but the chemistry and buffet of emotions kept me coming back for more. This was the story of people with a rich history of heartbreak and pain. I loved every detail of it and wouldn't have minded if it were longer.  

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An Inner Fire

 

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  1/2

Grayce Walters, animal acupuncturist, harbors a secret. She hides her intuitive gifts from the world until she becomes embroiled in arson on Seattle’s waterfront.

As a key crime witness, Grayce must convince the attractive, logical, by-the-numbers fire investigator, Ewan Davis, that the fire she witnessed is part of a larger criminal conspiracy. Grayce embarks upon a mission to gather proof of the dangerous threat. She enlists the help of her cross-dressing best friend, her street-wise assistant, and Davis’ poodle, to conduct her own investigation.

As her feelings for Davis shift between white hot passion and cold fear, Grayce must risk exposing her secrets to save Davis’ life. Davis must accept things, he can neither see, nor understand to solve the mystery and finally find the love he has stopped believing in.

With nudges from the protective poodle, Grayce and Davis confront shocking betrayal and international crime on the rain soaked streets of Seattle.

Review

****The author provided me with a copy of this book for my honest review****
Grayce is a bit unusual she, she has certain talents that allow her to help her help animals, when she senses an animal hurt while trying to find a parking spot and gets out to help she becomes a witness in an arson case. The more things start to happen, the more Grayce is sure there is more going on, and she needs to convince the hot fire investigator Ewan Davis. With the help of her friends and her gifts she tries to find something to convince him, the attraction between the two of them blazes out of control and Grayce is afraid for Davis's safety. Can Davis trust Grayce and believe in her and what they have or will everything go up in smoke? Yes, I know I used a lot of fire analogies summarizing the book, I'm sorry I couldn't myself. I was pleasantly surprised by this book in many ways, when I first started reading it I was a little bit bored because, for me, it started out with a bang then slowed way down, but once it picked back up it really took off and kept going. The mystery was well played; I had an idea of what was going, but the author kept things interesting and even though I did have some things figured out it, other things were still a surprise. Grayce was a good heroine she had initiative, and she took charge of situations, even when Davis was trying to protect Grayce and going all alpha male on her she still stood her ground. I loved the way the author wrote Grayces gifts, they are not over the top or really out there; they are presented in a way that seems almost plausible. Davis was a hot alpha male firefighter with a poodle named Mitzi, yes that's right a poodle named Mitzi; it's hard not to love a guy who would keep a dog from an ex especially a freakn poodle with that name. The romance was sweet with a hint of spice, if you like romantic mystery books An Inner Fire is one to add to your list.

About the Author

Descended from a long line of storytellers, Jacki spins adventures filled with mystery, healing and romance.
Jacki’s love affair with the arts began at a young age and inspired her to train as a jazz singer and dancer. She has performed many acting roles with Seattle Opera Company and Pacific Northwest Ballet.
Jacki has set An Inner Fire in Seattle, her long-time home. The city’s unique and colorful locations are a backdrop for her romantic mystery.
Although writing now fills much of her day, she continues to volunteer for Seattle’s Ballet and Opera Companies and leads children’s tours of Pike Street Market. Her volunteer work with Seattle’s homeless shelters influenced one of her main characters in An Inner Fire.
Jacki’s two Golden Labs, Gus and Talley, are her constant companions. Their years of devotion and intuition inspired her to write dogs as main characters alongside her strong heroines.
A geek at heart, Jacki loves superhero movies-- a hero’s battle against insurmountable odds. But her heroines don’t have to wear a unitard to fight injustice and battle for the underdog.
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Cooking Up Love

Goodreads Lyrical Press

Mix a chef and her contractor, stir in a mystery, and cook up a romance. Jemima George leads a charmed life as a personal chef and assistant to reality television's latest darling. But that changes in a New York minute when her Aunt Caro dies under odd circumstances, bequeathing her a small restaurant. Jem plans to sell the café and continue her life in NYC, until a dramatic phone call from her cheating boyfriend convinces her to experiment with the ingredients for happiness and accept her Aunt's legacy. Throwing herself into remodelling the restaurant with the help of the town's delicious contractor, Jem revamps the menu and renews her faith in herself. Jack Kerrigan considered Caro a surrogate mother and hates the idea that the cafe could be sold. He doesn't need the remodelling project, but if it means Caro's beautiful, fascinating niece will stay to run the restaurant, he's all in. He wouldn't mind being savoury to Jem's sweet. Jack's brassy ex-wife is cooking up a scheme of her own, where Jack tosses Jem like a salad and comes back to her. Fold in a creepy attorney hiding secrets of environmental mayhem, add Jem's claustrophobia, half-pint niece and nephew twins, one mysterious lockbox, and bring to a boil-a recipe for romance.

Review

****Lyrical Press provided me with a copy of this book for my honest review****
I am a sucker for a food related romance, so the title of this one sucked me in . This book started off fast, immediately you are thrown into the present. Jem's Auntie has passed away suddenly and her life is in turmoil as she has been left her Aunties café. Her boyfriend soon to be fiancé turns out to be not so nice so this ends up being a gift at a new sort of life. Throw in the delicious contractor hired to fix up the café and you have a recipe for an interesting romance.
I liked a lot of things about this book. The characters were well written and warm, the setting was the kind I like. The writing flowed and but sometimes I admit to wishing it was a bit faster. I did feel that the storyline was a bit predictable, so the mystery wasn't really a mystery. Everything was sort of alluded to right from the start....although I would like to find out about her aunts mysterious illness. Lets face it, its the romance that I read this book for and it was a good one. Jack and Jem had chemistry that lead to many steamy scenarios. I liked them as a couple and enjoyed reading how they got their happily ever after.
This was a satisfying read.

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Buying Thyme

Miranda is a high-class escort at the most prestigious escort agency in Sydney, Australia. Her Madam, Miss Stephanie commands the highest standard from her working girls and has taught Miranda the very best in the art of seducing men. Although it was never the life Miranda imagined for herself, she makes more than a decent living from it and always seems to be in demand from the Agency’s top clients.
American-born Joe Tench is one of Sydney’s most prominent businessman, owning the majority of the nightlife in Sydney, and across the country, but there is a dark side to Joe Tench. He is a regular client of Miranda's, he is also demanding, dominating and hard to handle. Miranda finds herself falling for Joe Tench’s unfamiliar, yet enticing charm. Until she meets Tom Smythe, heir to a wealthy mining company and amongst the top ten wealthiest families in Australia. The two develop a strong friendship after a chance meeting.
Miranda is caught between her feelings for these two very different men until a personal tragedy sees Miranda embark on a journey of discovery... and into a world she finds difficult to escape from.

Review

****I was given a copy of this book for my honest review****
First I would just like to say, Aussie Author Alert!! Being from the land down under I am always excited to read a book with Aussie references, places, music (Angus and Julia Stone, woot woot!).Buying Thyme by TJ Hamilton did not disappoint in this.
I am not going to go into details because I do believe the book blurb has highlighted everything and I don't want to give any extras away.
What I will say is that even though Miranda is a prostitute I found her incredible real and believable. My pleasure in a book always increase when the character/s are written in a way that I can relate and therefore connect with them.
As you can imagine with a book based on the life of a prostitute there was a bit of sex in this book. Not a problem for me I loved it, and the author did a stand out job of writing in many variables, costumes, scenarios etc. It is super hot. Mr Joe Tench, well can I say I love that man and all his domineering ways? Miranda being torn between the mysterious bad boy and the friendly open nice boy, was addictive, I just kept wanting more
This book was really easy to read, it flowed and I found myself just flying through it.
TJ Hamilton has put herself on my radar and I am eager to start the next book in this trilogy.
4 stars.

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Catherine's Cross

 

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 1/2

When Jenks Ellington experiences a sudden, alarming sense of panic about her identical twin sister Gigi, she has to wait until nearly midnight before learning the reason for her unease: Gigi has drowned while diving for artifacts in a Low Country river near Beaufort, South Carolina. Although Beaufort County detective Seth Mason is suspicious of Gigi’s diving partner, there is no evidence of foul play. But, when Gigi’s Port Royal home is broken into and ransacked, Jenks discovers two clues—one of which leads her to the home of a local Gullah medium.

In a painstaking search for answers, Jenks delves more deeply into her twin’s life. Along the way, her bond with Detective Mason reaches unexpected depths. And what secrets could medium Meta Jane be holding? Was Gigi’s death really an accident?

Review

****This book was part of a blog tour I was given a copy for my honest review****

Jenks and her twin sister Gigi have always been to sense when each one of them is in trouble, one night Jenks feels this and knows something is really wrong. Hours later her mother and police officers show up to tell her that Gigi is dead, devastated Jenks goes to where her sister lived to find out what happened. With the help of Detective Seth Mason Jenks sifts through her sisters’ life and forms a relationship with Seth. Can Jenks find out what happened to her sister or will she end up another casualty? This book was slow and mellow like a quiet walk through the park. There was drama and suspense, but the way it is written it's not the oh my god yell at the characters kind, the only way to describe it would be calm and soothing. Jenks has just lost her sister and still she tries to help everyone around. Seth knows how Jenks feels since he was a twin and had lost his brother, the relationship between the two of them had a natural feel to it. My favorite part of this book was the history, the author added so much to the book by including journals and other stories from the area. If you like action packed books or ones filled with steamy sex scenes this is not the book to read. If you are looking for a book with a good story but more laid back this is a good one. I was in the mood for this type of book so I really enjoyed reading Catherine's Cross.

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The Aspen House

 

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 1/2

Immediately after graduating from college, Miranda Morton suffered a severe illness. Now she has 100 dollars in her bank account and is on the verge of homelessness. That’s why she accepts a job she’s totally not qualified for: personal chef to rock god Michael de Bracy at a remote mountain retreat. Although Miranda expects to face challenges in cooking for de Bracy and his five friends, her real problems turn out to be much more serious: three people are viciously murdered with an ax during a freak snowstorm, and no one sees or hears a thing. Now Miranda finds herself stranded in the mountains with a killer. Even worse, she thinks the killer might be the man she’s fallen head over heels for, Michael de Bracy. Can Miranda protect herself and her heart until the police arrive?

Review

****This book was part of a blog tour I was given a copy for my honest review****

Miranda got sick right after she finished college, now she has no money and won't have a home anymore. Her roommate/friends get her a job as the personal chef to Michael de Bracy and his group who are going up to a house in the middle of nowhere. When a snowstorm hits and three people are murdered Miranda doesn't know who the killer could be, all she knows is she has been falling in love with de Bracy and he could be the killer. Aspen House was a very quick read; I read the entire thing in less than two hours. The plotline itself was interesting and the author did a great job keeping you guessing at whom the killer was, however, the characters were one dimensional. Miranda was the only one who seemed to have any personality and even that seemed to taper off as the book progressed. There seemed to be no reason why Miranda and de Bracy ended up together, beyond her liking him before they even met. The ending was a bit anticlimactic and seemed rushed. If this book was a bit longer, the characters had more personality and the romance angle was explored a little more, this would be a great book. The core of the story is there, I just think some things got messed up in the execution. 

Excerpt

At lunch, Valdez seemed pensive, and McGillicuty decided to tell Miranda a story.
“Have you ever heard about the last few people who stayed in the Aspen House?” he began, with a curious expression.
“Don’t,” Valdez said shortly.
“Let the kid talk,” Perry grumbled, sticking some chew in his mouth.
Since Miranda figured McGillicuty had been talking to her, she replied that she had not.
McGillicuty set his book aside on the table and donned an attitude of someone about to tell a ghost story at a slumber party. “Back when this land was still part of the Spanish Empire, it was public land--the people were free to walk through it, harvest the piñons, and hunt. In the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hildago, everything here was given to the people of the valley for their use.
“But then a wealthy man named Barklay decided he wanted this land for himself. So he sent people here to convince the citizens to sign over their land. Then, as now, most of the people who grew up in the valley and lived here spoke only Spanish, but the documents Barklay sent were in English. The people were told they were signing a petition to lower taxes, but instead they were signing away their rights to a man in New York--for free.
“Barklay built this ranch and moved in before the people even knew what had happened. To keep them from hunting on ‘his’ land, he hired the meanest cowboys he could find to guard the ranch. Once they encountered a shepherd trying to find a lost sheep, and beat him almost to death, dumping his body on the steps of Cordova’s courthouse."
“What did they do once they found the shepherd?”
“They killed Barklay.”
“Quite gruesomely, too,” Perry interrupted.
“They set fire to the house. Since the ranch owner had to use a wheelchair, he couldn’t get out in time, and perished in the blaze.”
McGillicuty allowed a moment of silence in honor of the dead man, then continued, “A new wealthy owner bought the land and rebuilt the Aspen House, only to sell it within a few years, as did the rich man who bought it after that. Some say that the house is cursed, and that the spirit of the first owner is too jealous to let the property belong to anyone but himself.”
Valdez snorted and rolled his eyes, then ordered the hands to get back to work. Despite his incredulity, however, Miranda found herself slightly spooked as the day wore on...

Author Bio:
Ellis Drake worked in museums as a curator and researcher for several years before she realized that she wanted to write mysteries.

Where to find Ellis: Blog | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon Author Page

Diary of a Vampire Stripper 18+

The following review is for 18+ readers.

Her best friend is a werewolf. Her boyfriend is a ghoul. And she really, REALLY can’t stand her vampire husband.
Trying to juggle college tuition and rent, young Audra Perez seeks a fast fix to her financial woes by auditioning as a stripper for the Hoochie Coochie Club. What she didn’t expect was to actually be chosen! Barely a few months into her new job, she becomes acquainted with a mysterious, distinguished gentleman by the name of Darren Von Eldon, and they secretly begin dating against club rules. Then one passionate night at his beach house changes Audra’s life forever.
Now as a newly-awakened vampire, this only adds to her day-to-day mundane burdens. Refusing to drain humans, she hunts birds for nourishment, and finagles a way to avoid going to classes during the day. But bigger problems loom ahead. Radical cops that know about her kind roam the night, seeking to destroy any and all ‘monsters’, and her best friend’s family has a bone to pick with Audra’s. Headless bodies are turning up on vamp and were turf, each side blaming the other for the murders. It’s up to Audra and her friend Lu to figure out who’s doing the killings, and their search leads them beneath the city streets to encounter an abomination neither one of them will ever forget.
And the relationship issues? Well, it’s not easy dealing with a boyfriend and a vampire husband, so let’s not even go there…
Life's a bitch, and then you DON'T die.

Review

****The author provided me with a copy of this book for my honest review****
When I started reading this book, all I knew was the name was killer and it had to read it.
Much like when I saw the titles of movies Strippers vs Zombies and Zombie Strippers or last but not least Lesbian Vampire Killers, that I had to see those movies. How can you resist a title like that? Quite simply, you can't, or well, I can't :)
Audra is a stripper, or a stripper by default. She really has no clue but the owner of the Hoochie Coochie Club (yup, another winning name) takes pity on her and lets her take pole dancing lessons during the day if she will be a waitress by night. She is seduced by an older gentlemen client, who in one night changes her life forever, then up and leaves her to deal with it on her own.
What I loved about this book was it was outrageous and funny. Audra was a snarky, sarcastic character who just got on with her life. She never ever made a decision that I thought she would make, so there were just surprises popping up left right and center.
Sometimes the storyline went down paths that I would term ridiculous, but they were dealt with such humor that I found myself enjoying them despite myself.
The secondary characters in this story Lu, aka HC (I will let you find out what that means for yourself) Audra's boyfriend Paul and many others are like nothing you have ever seen before in a book. In fact this book is like nothing I have ever read before, but I sure loved reading it. Although there were a few grammatical errors in this book, I found I could ignore them and that they didn't phase my level of enjoyment.
I am definitely looking forward to seeing what other wacky situations Audra can get herself into and out of in the next installment of this series. If you like humor in your books and are sick of the angst and "real life" stories, give Diary of a Vampire Stripper ago, it is a riot. 

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Ice Blue

 

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 1/2

 When lives are on the line, sometimes the wrong thing is the right thing to do.
Born into a Chicago cop family, while her brothers get their rush from catching bad guys, paramedic Angela DeLuca gets hers from saving lives. A tough beauty with a heart perhaps too big, she champions the underdog because, as the youngest of six siblings, she often felt like one.
ICE Special Agent Troy Deavers became a cop to prove he wasn’t like his father—a southern politician who brought his family down with greed and corruption. He doesn’t suffer victims well. At first intrigued by Angela’s passion, he soon fears that the fire in Angela’s heart will be her undoing.
What happens when Troy falls in love with the lovely but infuriating Angela, the Chicago paramedic who insists on protecting a young witness and her unborn baby—a witness who could break his case wide open?
You met the DeLuca family in heartbeats, now come to know them even better in ICE blue.
--Even if you haven't read heartbeats, you can still enjoy ICE blue. Each book has it's own gritty suspense tale and is complete within itself.

Review

****This book was part of a blog tour I received a copy for my honest review****

Angela is a tough paramedic with a marshmallow center, Troy is an ICE agent who doesn't do nice and cuddly. The two of them have great chemistry and when a baby is left abandoned on Angelas doorstep Troy has to find out how this baby fits into the human trafficking. I liked this book, it was a good entertaining read without any surprises. The two main characters Angela and Troy were well written written and had depth and there emotions were shown. I think the author did a great job of that throughout this entire book, she didn't tell you how things were or how they should be she showed you. There is some suspense and mystery, human trafficking is not an easy subject to write about but I think the author did a good job, some things were a bit over the top but it's fiction. I would have liked to had more information on Troy and his family, I think his background was glossed over some. The DeLuca family seemed warm, inviting and always in each other business, they were an interesting bunch and great secondary characters. Ice Blue was a good mystery romance with likable characters, I have already picked up the first book in this series and I am interested in seeing what Susan has next for the DeLuca family.

    
 

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Mirror of Shadows

 

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Ella McKaye returns home for her grandmother's funeral to find she's inherited a ton of smoney and a run down mansion she never knew existed, called Grey Manor. Her greedy mother is appalled when the will stipulates specifically that Ella can't give her any of the inheritance. She quickly throws Ella out of her home forcing her to take up immediate residence in the spooky old mansion.
Within minutes of entering her new home she has a strange interaction with a creepy old mirror in the main hallway and the ghostly inhabitants of the past get more and more agitated the longer Ella's there. Nearly fatal back to back accidents make Ella start to wonder if she's angered some ghost or if there is something more sinister at work.
Will Ella unravel the deadly mystery before she becomes a ghost herelf? Or will fate take another one of the Grey ancestors to the grave

Review

****I received this book as part of a blog tour for my honest review****

 This was a very satisfying read. A paranormal type mystery, with all sorts of twists and turns to keep you guessing. Ella is a decent character and although she is just out of college, she seems quite mature. There is a bit of a love triangle situation that occurs, between Ella, Jeremy and Matt. Jeremy is the handyman hired to help get Grey Manor back up and running again after years of disuse. Matt is a wealthy gentlemen. I enjoyed the tension between the three and when "incidents" started happening, the finger pointing that occurred was great. Of course I was a sucker for Jeremy, I love a dark brooding character. However the stand out character in this book was the cat Boo. I love it when pet steals the show.

The mixture of paranormal, mystery, suspense and romance worked well in this book. It was easy to read and it felt like an afternoon well spent. Not overly long this book could be finished in one sitting if you had an hour or two spare just to escape into a story, and this would be an enjoyable book to do it with.

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Identity Crisis

 

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When Olivia Doyle’s father dies under suspicious circumstances, rather than inheriting a family fortune, she inherits a new identity. She learns they were placed in the Federal Witness Security Program when she was five years old. Her father was involved in an art forgery ring and testified against the mob. Brought up not to trust anyone, Olivia has a difficult time relying on U.S. Marshal Ethan Ryder to protect her, and to keep her secret. She fears her father may have continued his life of crime through her art gallery. She has little choice but to depend on Ethan when she realizes someone is now after her. Olivia’s search for the truth leads her and Ethan across country to a family and past she doesn’t remember.
At the age of ten, Ethan witnessed a brutal murder. He vowed when he grew up, he’d protect people in danger. Protecting Olivia is difficult when she won’t trust him. He soon realizes his desire to protect her goes beyond doing his job, but if his judgment becomes clouded by emotions, her safety could be jeopardized.
Can Ethan and Olivia learn to trust each other when they uncover secrets that will change their lives forever?

Review

****This book was part of a blog tour, I received a copy for my honest review****

Olivias father has just died at the funeral their priest gives her an envelope that changes her entire life. She finds out that they were really in the witness protection program, her farther sold art forgeries and now somebody is after her. Ethan is the new agent assigned to her case after the original case agent died protecting another witness. The two of them are fighting the attraction towards each other, they have to learn to trust one another or both of them could end up killed. Olivia is a paranoid, smart and at times sassy heroine, her life gets turned upside down and yet she keeps it together. Ethan had a messed up childhood, he doesn't let people beyond his aunt get close to him. The two of them together have great chemistry, the conversations they had ranged from amusing to deep and heartfelt. The mystery in this book is what had me hooked, the author did a wonderful job of letting out little tidbits of information without making you feel like the book was to long or drawn out. It kept me guessing and wondering what is going to happen next, I loved the little shocker at the end. This was a great book with wonderful character and creative writing with a flair. If you like romance, mystery or suspense novels then you should definitely pick up Identity Crisis for your next read.

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Love at First Sight

This book has some sexual content, but nothing explicit.

From the author of the Twilight, Texas books comes the first in a dazzling new Cupid, Texas series. Lori Wilde welcomes us to Cupid, where every wish for love comes true...
Natalie McCleary couldn't believe her eyes-a lean-muscled, darkly tanned, nearly-naked man stood in her path…and then it hit her: love. Everyone always told her it'd hit like a thunderbolt, and she never believed them. But now she knew: practical, sensible Natalie was head over heels in love-with a stranger.
But ex-Navy SEAL Dade Vega wasn't about to be a stranger for long. He'd ridden into Cupid on his motorcycle, vowing to keep a promise he'd made to a military buddy. But a single glimpse at Natalie-soaking wet and unexpectedly tempting-changed his life forever.
But how can he offer her is love, when he can't even promise to stay in one place for longer than a week?

Review

*****I recieved this arc from Edelweiss for my honest review*****
We start off in the town of Cupid in the mind of character Natalie McCleary. Natalie has had a hard life, being witness to her parents deaths, sustaining an injury that has left her with a life long limp and having the burden of her sister's upbringing on her shoulders, has left her as a serious person who very rarely lets her hair down. She has also been brought up in the down of Cupid, a kooky little town, steeped in history, which very much celebrates romance and love. Being 29 and having no prospects has left Natalie perplexed as to how to move forward, and having to answer love letters as part of a town tradition has made her feel clueless. How can you answer questions about love, when you have never experienced it?
Dade Vega is on a mission to find his foster brother, the only family he has. His last known whereabouts was in Cupid, in the very boarding house that Natalie runs. An early life full of abuse has left Dade very suspicious of people and also believing he is will never have a place to belong,or somebody to love.
Each of these characters were totally unprepared for what would happen when they met each other.
I liked this story, I am a sucker for a kooky town and Cupid was definitely a kooky little town. The tradition of the "Dear Cupid" letters was a cute touch and the ancestors of the original Dear Cupid letter writer, Natalie's relatives, were a lively bunch of interfering biddies and I liked them alot. All confident with there belief in love, all willing to dish out advice.
The Mystery of Red's (Dades foster brother) disappearance was a mystery right up to the end. I really had no idea what had happened to him, however I did have my suspicions of a certain person being involved.The romance between Natalie and Dade was a love at first sight story, although Dade did fight it, even though he did feel it. Both characters have some serious self esteem issues but, when things did get moving it was sweet and loving, maybe a bit too sweet for me, but I am sure others will love it. It was well written and well paced.
A good start to a new series.

 

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First Visions (Second Sight #1)

 

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Two years ago, 21-year-old Kate Edwards became deathly ill and slipped into a coma. While unconscious, she crept into the mind of a missing boy and awoke with the knowledge of his location. Friends and family were skeptical and wary of her new ability to see into the minds of others. Their fears prompted Kate to keep her psychic powers a secret. Feeling alienated, she dropped out of college and spent most of her days holed up at her mother’s home.
Now another child has been abducted. Police detective Jared Corbett seeks out Kate for her help in solving the case. Reluctantly, Kate agrees and they must work together to bring 8-year-old Cori Preston home to her family. Although attracted to one another, Jared has a girlfriend with ties to the abduction case and Kate is sarcastic and guarded since her coma. With visions she can’t control and an uncontrollable attraction to the detective, she wonders if she can leave the past behind and finally stop hiding from the world. Otherwise, Cori may be lost forever.

Review

****This book was part of a blog tour, I received a copy for my honest review****

This was a great book for those who like a little bit of suspense and mystery with their romance. Also it was very informative for a first book of a series without being to heavy. I liked that. I loved Katie's character, she was a bit clueless,but she had her reasons and she knew it; her snarky dry wit was just perfect. She had been through a lot and had built up a fair few defensive walls and I couldn't blame her at all.
The romantic relationship between the Katie and Jared was very well done. I could feel the tension and I felt bad for their obvious struggle to try and stay away from each other even though they had undeniable chemistry. I am glad things were paced the way they were. I believe this could be read as a YA or NA book. The adult themes were very light and the focus was on the story and the budding relationship rather than a sexual relationship between the two.
I really liked trying to figure out the mystery of what was going on through her visions/dreams.
It was a very enjoyable short read. It sort of reminded me of the earlier Charlaine Harris mysteries,The Aurora Teagarden series, which I loved. I will definitely be looking forward to reading the next one.

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