Hard to Come By (Hard Ink #3) by Laura Kaye

HARD TO COME BY is the third book in the Hard Ink series, and continues with the team’s efforts to get to the bottom of the ambush that cost them so much. It’s an action packed story and a fantastic read, start to finish.

Blurb…

Caught between desire and loyalty…

Derek DiMarzio would do anything for the members of his disgraced Special Forces team—sacrifice his body, help a former teammate with a covert operation to restore their honor, and even go behind enemy lines. He just never expected to want the beautiful woman he found there.

When a sexy stranger asks questions about her brother, Emilie Garza is torn between loyalty to the brother she once idolized and fear of the war-changed man he's become. Derek’s easy smile and quiet strength tempt Emilie to open up, igniting the desire between them and leading Derek to crave a woman he shouldn't trust.

As the team’s investigation reveals how powerful their enemies are, Derek and Emilie must prove where their loyalties lie before hearts are broken and lives are lost. Because love is too hard to come by to let slip away…

My thoughts…

If you’re a fan of military conspiracy/suspense and love sexy tatted heroes, this is the series for you. If you swoon over wounded warriors who risked their lives for the country they love, only to be betrayed by a man they trusted and are now out for revenge, you’ll really want to give this series a go. If you crave all of these things in your romantic suspense reading then you need look no further than Laura Kaye’s amazing Hard Ink series which delivers all of this and more!

Derek DiMarzio is an amazing - and I do mean amazing - man. I love his sense of humor, his honor, his integrity, and his devotion to this team of men who have banded together and are once again risking it all – this time to get to the truth. Emilie has a lot of secrets, but I love that she’s no TSTL heroine, and once she sees what the team is about and what they’re up against, and even though it might cost her dearly, she knows she must do the right thing and help them get the answers they need and deserve.

The bottom line...

Murder, car chases, shoot-outs, explosions, romance and burn up the pages passion… Hard to Come By has it all and has taken this series to a whole new level of amazing!

An ARC was provided by Avon Books via Edelweiss and in return I’m giving them an honest review.

Hard To Hold On To (Hard Ink #2.5) by Laura Kaye

HEARTBREAKINGLY UGLY, JOYOUSLY BEAUTIFUL!

Description...

Edward "Easy" Cantrell knows better than most the pain of not being able to save those he loves--which is why he is not going to let Jenna Dean out of his sight. He may have just met her, but Jenna's the first person to make him feel alive since that devastating day in the desert more than a year ago.

Jenna has never met anyone like Easy. She can't describe how he makes her feel--and not just because he saved her life. No, the stirrings inside her reach far beyond gratitude.

As the pair are thrust together while chaos reigns around them, they both know one thing: the things in life most worth having are the hardest to hold on to.

***********

HARD TO HOLD ON TO is... ugly and beautiful, achingly sad but poignantly uplifting... there's a lot of emotion packed into this short story. I'll never forget Easy and Jenna ... all they endured and all they have, and have yet, to conquer!

A copy of this book was provided by Avon Books. In return I'm giving them an honest review.

 

Run to You by Rachel Gibson

Description…

There's nothing like fleeing Miami to ruin a girl's day. Stella Leon's bartending gig was going fine until gorgeous ex-Marine Beau Junger decked her mob-connected boss, spirited her out of the city, and claimed that Stella's half-sister--the one with the perfect life--sent him. Now Stella has no choice but to go along for the ride... and seduce Beau's military-issue socks off...

The Marine Corps was Beau's escape from his old man's legacy of naval heroism and serial philandering, but no amount of training could prepare him for the day he looked in the mirror and saw his father staring back. The answer: swear off meaningless sex. Oh, and find a way to make Stella Leon quit being so damn hot.

Fun, Romantic, Sexy!

"I'm an idiot. I thought love happened like bullets and flashbang." He waved the smoke away. "I was wrong. It happens one smile at a time. One beautiful, torturous smile at a time. One look into your eyes. One touch of your hand. The sound of your laughter." -Beau

Run to You is the fourth book in Rachel Gibson’s Lovett, Texas series, and I find I’m becoming quite fond of her writing. It’s got that small town, down home feel, but the pace of this story is anything but slow.

My review…

I really enjoyed Run to You. For the record, I read it out of order and while I wasn’t lost at all, I do wish I had had the background stories so I could understand the players better.

Beau is a great hero, in more ways than one. He’s got that … charisma… that magnetism that draws people to him while, at the same time, warning them off. He’s had it tough growing up, but the Marine’s toughened him up and made him take a good long look in the mirror and realize he’s not the man he could be. In fact, he’s destined to be the very last man on the planet he would want to be – his own father.
Stella was fun, albeit at bit annoying at times. But to be fair, I tend to favor the heroes in my romance reads and get peeved at the heroines who don’t fall into line tout de suite. But that’s my problem and, in the end, I really did enjoy Stella’s spunky attitude and her relationship with Beau.

The bottom line…

Rachel Gibson is a name I’ve seen around my friends’ reviews quite often, and I’m glad I finally gave her a try. I enjoyed the Lovett, Texas world she has created and look forward to reading more in the series!

My thanks to Avon Books for providing me with a copy of this ARC. 

Almost Perfect by Julie Ortolon - Includes Audio Book Review

Kindle freebie at the time of posting - Click here to purchase

Description...

Maddy, Christine, and Amy find that an old college roommate has written about them in her new self-help book-and they're furious that she's used them as examples of how women screw up their lives. And the worst part is, it's sort of true. Together they make a pact: they'll face down their fears-and maybe show Miss Perfect a thing or two!

Maddy rejected her high school sweetheart's marriage proposal for art school years ago. Now her friends challenge her to rediscover her lost passion for arts. In doing so, she crosses paths with her old flame, Joe, at an art camp. Perhaps it's about time that Maddy reignites another old passion.

***** 

This is a review of both the Audible and the Kindle versions.

I haven't enjoyed a new-to-me author this much in a long time and it just goes to prove the old adage about never judging a book by its cover - but in this case, its 'never judge a book by its price.' See, I've had Almost Perfect sitting on my Kindle forever! Seriously, at least couple years, I'm sure. But I had this idea that because it had been free, it probably wasn't all that good, so I was in no hurry to get to it. Yeeaaah, no! I was totally wrong about that and I'm kicking myself for having waited so long to read this story!

My review...

There are a few things that stand out in my mind as to what makes this such an entertaining story. Most definitely Christine and Amy and their friendship with Maddy - true friends who tell you what you need to hear, even when it's not what you want to hear. Their relationship added a bit of a chick-lit feel, but not too much. This truly is a romance driven novel. And a steamy one, at that!

Another thing I loved is the theme of never giving up on your dreams. In fact, that's the jumping off point and the foundation of the story. And while the friendship is the catalyst for Maddie reaching for her dreams, Joe is also there, cheering her on.

But for me, best of all, I loved this second chance romance that, against almost impossible odds, was truly wonderful. No hurried forgiveness, no lame excuses that are acceptable just to move things along...the whole story, start to finish, drew me in and kept me totally invested in these very real, totally normal, compelling flawed people. (And an FYI to those I know will be wondering - there was no cheating involved when the relationship ended the first time.)

The audio...

Jane Cramer did a great job of giving each character a distinctive voice and personality. Her own voice is smooth, pleasant, and so, so easy to listen to!

I'm excited to read more by this talented author/narrator team!

My thanks to the Ortolons for providing me with a copy of this audio book in exchange for an honest review. It was such a pleasure!

At the time of this posting, book 1, Almost Perfect, is a Kindle Freebie. Use the link below to order:

Blue By You by Rachel Gibson

Rachel Gibson, the New York Times bestselling author of Crazy On You and Rescue Me, once again shows that there's nothing quite like a man in uniform!

They say you never forget your first time, but there's nothing Blue Butler and Kasper Pennington would rather forget than their brief but fiery teenage love affair. Yeah, it was hot while it lasted, but then he went off to join the Marines, leaving Blue in New Orleans. She's tried to block him from her mind for good, but nothing can really erase the feeling she had when she was with him.

And now he's got the nerve to return—leaner, meaner, and strong enough to pull her into his arms and kiss her senseless. Blue's a successful businesswoman now, with no time to figure out what went wrong all those years ago. But Kasper knows she's the one woman for him … and now he's got to prove it to her all over again.

************

My Quickie (Review)

Blue By You is a second chance romance, and wonderful story with so much passion packed into just 144 pages. It's my first experience with Rachel Gibson's writing, and it most certainly will not be my last!

ARC provided by Avon in exchange for an honest review.     

Hard As It Gets (Hard Ink #1) by Laura Kaye

Tall, dark, and lethal...

Trouble just walked into Nicholas Rixey's tattoo parlor. Becca Merritt is warm, sexy, wholesome--pure temptation to a very jaded Nick. He's left his military life behind to become co-owner of Hard Ink Tattoo, but Becca is his ex-commander's daughter. Loyalty won't let him turn her away. Lust has plenty to do with it too.

With her brother presumed kidnapped, Becca needs Nick. She just wasn't expecting to want him so much. As their investigation turns into all-out war with an organized crime ring, only Nick can protect her. And only Becca can heal the scars no one else sees.

Desire is the easy part. Love is as hard as it gets. Good thing Nick is always up for a challenge…

**** 

Ink me up, baby!

Hard As It Gets, the first book in Laura Kaye’s Hard Ink series, is one of those stories that turned out to be not at all as I had expected, but more than I had hoped for. It’s fast paced, romantic, sexy, poignant… an exciting and entertaining read! 

My review

Part of the reason this story took me by surprise is that it’s really not a contemporary romance as I had expected it to be. In fact, I’d be more inclined to place it solidly in the romantic suspense genre due to the ex-military hero and his friends, and the very nature of this ‘mission’ they’re on. There’s kidnapping, sleuthing, fighting, killing, maiming, shooting, stabbing, chasing… all the things that scream romantic suspense, and add to all that the intrigue and passion that makes romantic suspense one of my favorite genres and Hard As it Gets made me one happy reader!

And a very pleasant surprise - I didn’t realize this until I had finished Hard As it Gets, but Laura Kaye also wrote the awesome novella Hearts in Darkness, and I know there are more than a few fans of that story amongst my reading buddies!

The bottom line 

With Hard Inked, Laura Kaye has created a world filled with complex, passionate, emotionally scarred people, and a storyline that grabbed hold and kept me on the edge of my seat wondering who, what, and why. I'm not so patiently looking forward to the next story, Hard As You Can! 

This ARC was provided by Avon Books via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

Books in the series so far:

Love at First Sight by Lori Wilde

 

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?

*****

 Love at First Sight is the first book in Lori Wilde’s new Cupid, Texas series. It’s a fun story that kept me turning the pages, loving every moment of “Cupid” working his magic in this small Texas town. Lori Wilde is a name I’ve seen around Goodreads, but surprisingly, not often, and I say “surprisingly” because if her other books are anything like this one, I’m not sure why more people aren’t reading her stories!

Cupid, Texas is a quaint, quirky town filled with quaint, quirky people. It’s a close knit community of friends and family, and would be such a fun place to live.

I enjoyed getting to know Natalie and Dade. Natalie opens the story with the tragic loss of her parents in a plane crash when she was just a child. Sad as it is, it gives us a poignant glimpse into what made Nat the woman she was, and how she got the strength to become the woman she now is. Dade had a difficult, heartbreaking childhood as well, and it made it difficult for him to trust Nat and open himself by telling her the truth. But all his hurt, his brutal past, just made Natalie – and myself – love him all the more.

The bottom line: While there were times when things seemed to drag a bit, but all-in-all, this is such a sweet story! Passionate,sexy, exciting, fun… Lori Wilde has created a truly great world in Cupid, Texas, and I can’t wait to visit again, soon.

My thanks to Avon Books and Edelweiss for providing me with a copy of Love at First Sight in exchange for an honest review.

Midnight Secrets by Ella Grace

 

At the stroke of midnight, the heat begins...

On a hot southern night, with a storm on the horizon, a family is shattered. Three beautiful daughters—Savannah, Samantha, and Sabrina Wilde—go on with their lives, each significantly changed, as they bear the memory of the murder-suicide that killed their parents. For years, they have stayed away from Midnight, Alabama. Until Midnight calls them home.

Savannah is the first one back, when a grueling case in Nashville leads the young prosecutor to seek shelter in the quiet of the once grand Wilde mansion. But when she finds letters casting doubt on her family’s dark, shameful past, she realizes that peace in Midnight is a shallow façade and sinister secrets lurk beneath the surface. Zach Tanner, once the town’s bad boy, is now the new police chief and still has a wild hold over her. Zach can feel it, too, but he hurt Savannah once. As teenagers, they broke every rule together. Now it’s his job to keep her safe, even though he isn’t sure who her enemies are—or which ones might be his own.

*****

Midnight Secrets is the first book in Ella Grace’s Wildefire series, and opens with a tragic scene that absolutely broke my heart. Right from the start I was completely invested in the Wilde family, and desperate to know the truth of what happened that horrible night.

I really enjoy ‘second chance’ romances, especially when they’re written the way Midnight Secrets is. What I mean is that instead of just being told about the past through character reflection or dialog, we actually watch it unfold. We see the ‘murder-suicide’ as it takes place, and even though it was heartbreaking to watch, I was glad those details were given to us because it saved me a lot of anxiety throughout the rest of story. Then years later - but not yet in the present - we get an up close and personal glimpse at Savannah and Zach’s relationship, how it begins and how it ends too soon. I loved that it was written this way because, as I said, it pulled me in and I became connected to the family, invested in them and the learning the truth. And as much as I loved those parts, the present day story is just as good, just as compelling. This is such a well written mystery/romance, with wonderful characters and a storyline loaded with enough twists and turns to keep me guessing right to the very end.

Interestingly enough, I’ve been meaning to read Christy Reece’s writing ever since Pamela Clare – a truly amazing romantic suspense author – recommended her to me, but there’s always been one thing or another cropping up, and I just never got around to it. When I decided to read and review Midnight Secrets, I had no idea that Ella Grace is Christy Reece, but knowing it now, you can bet I’ll be picking up Ms. Reece’s Last Chance Rescue books, very soon.

The bottom line: Fast paced, intriguing, and sexy, romantic and fun, Midnight Secrets is an exciting story that no romantic suspense fan should miss! Savannah and Zach are fantastic together, and now I’m anxiously awaiting Samantha’s and Sabrina’s stories.

My thanks to Ballatine Books and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this story in exchange for an honest review.