Showing posts with label cops. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cops. Show all posts

Sunday, October 27, 2013

Glory in Death by J.D. Robb, Narrated by Susan Ericksen



It is 2058, New York City. In a world where technology can reveal the darkest of secrets, there's only one place to hide a crime of passion-in the heart.

Even in the mid-twenty-first century, during a time when genetic testing usually weeds out any violent hereditary traits before they can take over, murder still happens. The first victim is found lying on a sidewalk in the rain. The second is murdered in her own apartment building. Police Lieutenant Eve Dallas has no problem finding connections between the two crimes. Both victims were beautiful and highly successful women. Their glamorous lives and loves were the talk of the city. And their intimate relations with men of great power and wealth provide Eve with a long list of suspects-including her own lover, Roarke

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Science Fiction for people who don't like Science Fiction!

Glory in Death is the second book in J.D. Robb’s wildly popular, futuristic, In Death series, and just like the first book, it’s an exciting, gritty, thrilling read.

The Story -

Two prominent women and a third ‘accidental’ have been found with their throats slashed, and as primary on the case, Police Lieutenant Eve Dallas has her hands full. With the list of suspects rising along with the death count, Eve is mentally and emotionally pushed to her limits, and so is her relationship with Roarke.

My Thoughts -

Honestly, even though I’ve listened to my daughter rave about these stories, and despite the number of 4 and 5 star reviews on Goodreads, I just never felt the urge to read this series. But thankfully I stumbled upon the audio version of Naked in Death at my public library and now I’m hooked!

Glory in Death is an intriguing murder mystery filled with twists and turns and suspects and probable causes… plenty of possibilities to keep me guessing – even though I had a fairly good idea, I wasn’t certain – as to the identity of the murderer. And the budding romance between Roarke and Eve is done so well that even though it’s frustrating at times, it’s also what I’d expect from these two, strong willed people.

The series is set in the future, mid 21st century. Since I’m not a fan of Science Fiction, I was worried about how well I’d like these books. Fortunately, while they’re futuristic, they’re not at all overly Science Fiction, and I think people who aren’t usually fans of the genre will enjoy these. In fact, if you're familiar with Stephenie Meyer's The Host, I'd say this series is even less SciFi than that.

Now, a bit about the audio. Susan Ericksen is just so, so talented! She gives these characters such distinctive voices that it’s as though she’s breathed life into them. She gives them the level of passion, fear, sorrow, hope... all the emotions become so much more vivid. They truly do start to feel like real people, and that’s exactly how I love my audio ‘reads.’

Overall, Glory in Death is fast paced, exciting, passionate, and even romantic in a two-steps-forward, one-step-back sort of way, and I loved every minute of it!

  

Saturday, September 7, 2013

Rock Chick Redemption by Kristen Ashley

CONTEST NOW CLOSED

Woohoo! Day 3, book 3 of my 
ROCK CHICK SERIES RE-READ REVIEW CELEBRATION!! 
I absolutely adore these books and love sharing my excitement with you. If you're not already a fan, I hope you'll give these books a try!

Remember!


At the end of this 8 day CELEBRATION, I'll be giving away 1 ebook copy of any ROCK CHICK book, to 3 winners. Be sure and stop by every day and post a comment to be entered for a chance to win 1 of the 3 copies, your choice, of Kristen Ashley's ROCK CHICK books from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or Smashwords.

Open to US residents only.

You must comment on each book review to win!


Roxie’s on the run from a bad boyfriend who will not catch the hint that it is o-v-e-r. She’s in no mood for love at first sight, but when her eyes fall on Hank, it’s trouble from the get-go. Roxie tries to hold Hank at arms length but Hank wants to be a closer (as in, a lot closer). Roxie’s trouble catches up with her and Hank wants to help but Roxie knows in her heart that she’s no good for a white hat guy. The problem is no one agrees with her, especially her crazy hippie best friend Annette or her parents; the even crazier small-Indiana-town Herb and Trish. Toss into the mix the gang from Rock Chick and Rock Chick Rescue and Roxie finds herself totally outnumbered.

Climb in for another Rock Chick wild ride through Rock Chick Redemption. As the odds stack up against Roxie, she has no choice but to hold on and just ride it out through the kidnappings, car chases, society parties, a riot at the strip club, Hank getting “Mom Bombed” and one crazy night at the Haunted House.

During all this Hank works at convincing her she really wants to stay and he, along with the Hot Bunch, go all out to make her safe. Hank also needs to work on showing Roxie that her past decisions don’t mean her future can’t include something as downright delicious as… normal.

*****

Re-read Review - August 23-25, 2013

What a great story! I enjoyed it even more during my re-read, picking up on things I'd missed before, intriguing insights into Hank that explain why so many people worship at his altar! Y'all need to move over and make room for me at said altar, too!

Roxie's growin' on me, but still not my favorite Rock Chick. That said, she is Tex's niece so that gets her some big time brownie points!

Aside from a laugh out loud haunted house scene, meeting Roxie's loopy parents, and all the hilarity that is Tex, my favorite part of Rock Chick Redemption is the kick-ass segue into the next book, Rock Chick Renegade, Jules and Vance's story! Yummmmm!

Bumping this from 4.5 to a full 5 stars!

Original Review -

Every time I read a Kristen Ashley book I think, ‘this is my favorite!’ and then I move on to the next book and end up thinking, ‘this is my favorite!’… and so it goes. What I’ve come to realize is that I’ll really never be able to pick a favorite because each book offers something different than the others, and I find that that’s what makes me love each one of the books the same "much" as the others.

And now that I’ve totally confused you, I’ll just say… I love Hank and Roxie, but for me, Tex really stole the show. I love that man and can’t get enough of his “shee-it.” :)

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Rock Chick Reading Order:

1. Rock Chick  
3. Rock Chick Redemption

Thursday, August 15, 2013

Rock Chick Revolution by Kristen Ashley



Welcome to my blog and my installment of the 
Rock Chick Revolution Road Tour Scavenger Hunt!

Kristen Ashley and her invaluable Right Hand Woman, Chas, have put together some totally awesome prize packages for you! All you have to do is take a trip to each participating blog, gather the clues, answer the questions, and you're entered to win!  At the end of my review you'll find links to the schedule, all the blogs, and a link to where you go to answer the questions.

That's where you'll also find my clue and a link to the next blog on this Road Tour Scavenger Hunt!

Good Luck and ROCK ON!



Ally Nightingale has secrets. Secrets she doesn't even share with the Rock Chicks. But two men know what she's up to. One has her back. The other has her heart, but he doesn't know it.

As Ally rewinds the last year of her life, she knows two things. One, she’s never going to get what every Rock Chick should have—her own Hot Bunch guy. And two, she’s a Nightingale through and through. She just isn’t sure what to do about that.

But as her secrets are revealed, the men in her life react. Darius Tucker, a lifelong friend, as usual takes her back. Ren Zano, the man she loves, isn’t quite so sure. The Rock Chicks, Hot Bunch and the entire gang at Fortnum’s weigh in, and a Rock Chick Revolution starts brewing.

It’s up to Ally to control it and prove what she knows down to her bones.

She’s a Rock Chick, she deserves her hot guy and she’s going to keep the one she wants…

Because she’s a Nightingale.

*****

"Because, no matter how old we get, we always need to believe in fairytales."

I adore Kristen Ashley’s stories. They’re fun, sexy, heartfelt, thought provoking, and you can tell that they come from a place of truth. Each and every one has become a favorite, for different reasons. Some grab my heart because they’re poignant, others because they’re romantic. Some set my imagination free, while others ground me and make me feel solid. I love that regardless the tale she’s telling, she can pull me in, have me connect with the characters – who never feel like characters, by the way – and keep me turning the pages into the wee hours of the morning.

And such is the case with this story.

Rock Chick Revolution is the eighth and final book in Kristen Ashley’s totally awesome Rock Chick series, and the story most of us hard-core fans have been waiting for. From their first encounter in Rock Chick Revenge when Ally gets in Ren’s face to make him step back from the fight between he and Luke – over Ava, no less – you just know these two will end up together and that they’ll push at each other, pull at each other, drive each other insane and burn up the sheets together. And man, oh, man, do they ever!

“Revolution” in the title is very apt, for a couple of reasons. One being that the story of the Rock Chicks and the Hot Bunch has come full circle. But while reading this story I couldn’t help but connect that word to what was happening in the Rock Chick world – a revolution of sorts. I’ve always seen Ally as a wild card. The one you could never totally read. Like the rest of the Rock Chicks, she’s a girl who knows what she wants and will stop at nothing to get it. That said, what Ally wants is HUGE and is going to upset the Hot Bunch apple cart in a big way, and cause a revolution of epic proportions. And that’s all I’ll say about that.

There are some very cool twists. Some totally awesome turns. Things you may have never seen coming, but when they come, you can’t help but smile, and I mean smile in a way that comes from deep inside, from another place of truth. "Because, no matter how old we get, we always need to believe in fairytales."

Oh, and one last thing - you know that saying, when one door closes, another opens, so an ending is just a beginning? Yeah. That.

Just sayin'...

And now for the good stuff!!!

Grand Prize

Righteous Rock Chick Back Stage Pass
30 minute private – one-on-one Skype (video or text) chat with Kristen.
A signed copy of all 8 Rock Chick Books

2nd place

Rebel Rock Chick VIP
A signed copy of Rock Chick Revolution

3rd, 4th, and 5th places

Rock Chick Groupies
An e-copy of Rock Chick Revolution for you or a friend.

     
Blithely's Rock Chick Road Tour Scavenger Hunt Clue is: 

You'll find this place skirting an off-road on I-25

Now be sure and head over to All Romance Reviews for another of today's clues and a link to the next stop on this RIGHTEOUS Road Tour!!

Important! In case you get lost, these links will help you find your way...

Here's the Road Tour Schedule

Post Your Tour Answers Here


Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Razing Kayne by Julianne Reeves


For two years, State Trooper Kayne Dobrescu has wanted only one thing: to understand why his wife inexplicably killed their children and then herself. Memories haunt his days and lay siege to his nights, leaving him questioning his reasons for living.

Jessica Hallstatt became a widow and single mother the night her firefighter husband died in a fiery explosion at an accident scene. While her husband may have died a hero, he left Jessica with deep emotional scars that haven't begun to heal.

When Kayne accepted a transfer to the mountain town of Payson, Arizona, he never expected to meet anyone like Jessica. From the moment he pulled her over for speeding, he was drawn in by her whiskey colored eyes and sassy dimple. But she and her children are a forever type package, and he's vowed never to give anyone the power to destroy him again. Yet fate has other ideas, throwing Kayne and Jessica together in a fight against an unknown enemy to save the life of a child—and hopefully one another.

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Razing Kayne is Julianne Reeves’ debut novel, and it’s a heart-breaking, heart-warming, heart-stopping, and sexy as hell story. It had me fighting back tears one minute, laughing the next, and kept me guessing what might really have happened to Kayne's family, right to the end.
While the plot itself is definitely exciting and intriguing, filled with twists and turns and things I never saw coming, it was Kayne and Jess who kept me turning the pages. For me, the real draw of the story is found in how deeply Kayne's and Jess's failed first marriages affected them, their attempt to leave their pasts in the past, and to make things work between them, despite the odds. In truth, while neither of their previous marriages was rosy, Kayne's was flat out gut-wrenching. I'm not sure how he was able to live those years with the demons - the horrific memories - that haunted him. He could have taken the easy way out and used his own service revolver to end his pain, but he kept on going, kept on serving, kept on existing, if not living.

Jessica is a caring, compassionate woman. Her husband died a hero, but Jess lived with the "real" man and it wasn't all that pretty. She could have become a very bitter person, but instead she focused on helping others, putting her own pain aside, and that's what I loved most about her.

The bottom line: Though not without flaws - what I felt were some unlikely coincidences - Razing Kayne is one hell of a debut novel. It's a sizzling hot, emotionally charged story with compelling characters, and even though they're both far from perfect - quick to fly off the handle, and stubborn as all get out - I found myself invested in Kayne and Jess from the start, and caring about them, each in their own right. But when they finally got together and began working through their issues and trying to solve the mystery surrounding the death of Kayne's family, that's when they became people I couldn’t help but love and cheer for. I didn't just want them to be happy, I needed them to be happy. I had to see them conquer their demons so they could have the happily ever after they both so desperately wanted – and deserved.

Nick Astenbeck's book is next in the Walking a Thin Blue Line series, and from what know of he and Sarah, it promises to an intense, poignant, and very sexy story.

3.5 stars

My thanks to Ms. Reeves for providing me with a copy of this story in exchange for an honest review. It was a pleasure!

And now for your viewing pleasure, I'll leave you with this - this is the author's visual muse for Kayne Dobrescu. His real-life name is Pedro Marugan, but all we need to know is that he one fine hunk of manliness.