Devil’s Bargain By Rachel Caine Review

Devil’s Bargain

Red Letter Days Book One

By Rachel Caine

All Jazz wants to do is drown her sorrows, her partner is in prison for a crime he didn’t commit, she has been shunned by most of the cops in the city, and she has just enough money left to get really drunk. While she is minding her own business a man comes up to her in his brand new leather outfit making him stick out like a sore thumb in the biker bar, but what is truly weird is the man knows her name and has an envelope for her. She has never been to this particular bar before and only just decided right before arriving.

I have to say it, I loved Jazz, she is a smart mouth who can back it up but there is so much more to her than just that she is kind and caring even if she pulls her gun first and asks questions later. I wasn’t sure what the story would be about as the synopsis I had read was fairly vague but it turned out to be a unique and fun read. I know Rachel Caine has also written the Morganville Vampire series, even though I have only read two of those I have to say that Rachel Caine is a truly surprising author. She has come up with two of the most original series that I have ever come across but not only that none of her books that I have read even come close to anyone else’s.  This book in particular you have great characters an amazing storyline all surrounding the good versus evil premise. This is certainly a must read and I look forward to what Rachel Caine has in store next. 

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A Widow’s Guilty Secret By Marie Ferrarella Review

A Widow’s Guilty Secret

By Marie Ferrarella

★★

Suzie Burris is waiting for her husband to get home so she can ask for a divorce. Having agreed to have a child to try to connect with each other she is now the new mother of a two month old baby and has had enough of her philandering husband. As Suzie is anxiously waiting for her husband Detective Nick Jeffries shows up to inform her that her husband has been murdered.

I usually like what Harlequin releases, this is one of those instances where it was a miss for me. Granted Marie Ferrerella is a great author, she does a wonderful job in bringing her story fully to life. The problem is the story itself. First off you have a woman who has just given birth and whose husband has just been murdered but she is constantly taking off and leaving her two month old son with her sister. Then you take into account that this is a romance novel and she will inevitably fall in love with the detective, again I see what the author is trying to say that the marriage has been over for a while but her husband died what a few hours ago and she is falling for someone else? I think that if the author had switched Suzie and her sister Lori characters with each other she would have had a much better novel. The third problem I have follows the not so subtle:

**Spoiler Alert**

The absolutely biggest problem I had was when as you may have predicted her son and sister are kidnapped. And what does a grieving widow whose child is in danger do? You guessed it, have passionate sex with the man who is supposed to be working on her husband’s case.  Wait what?

**End Spoiler Alert**

Unfortunately I did not like this book which is rare from me as I said I usually like what Harlequin puts out there, this one was just too much. There’s drama then there is “You’ve got to be kidding me!”

Secret Storm By Amelia James Review

Secret Storm

By Amelia James

★★★★

There never seems a right time for Sara and Jack, for one reason or another they are never available at the same time. Now, after three years of flirting they are finally able to be together. Everything seems to be going perfectly, until Jack’s secret begins to surface. Everyone has secrets, some secrets are worse than others and some secrets can change your life forever.

 

This isn’t your average book, it’s written as a full blown adult novel surrounding college students. With tons of passion and steamy encounters, Amelia James has brought to life a great romance novel. The characters are relatable and the struggles they face are realistic. What I loved the most was that the climactic revelation is something that could actually happen, unlike most novels where climax is something so far-fetched, granted still entertaining. Basically if E.L. James and Debbie Macomber had a love child this would be the result of that union. I loved it, though I must warn you it is full of highly adult scenes so it will not be for everyone.

Invisible By Carla Buckley Review

Invisible

By Carla Buckley

★★★★

Dana Carlson is demolishing a building when her niece calls telling her that her sister is sick and needs her. Dana Carlson rushes to Black Bear Minnesota only to find out she is a few hours late. The longer Dana stays, the more she realizes her niece and brother in law need her and what killed her sister may take the rest of her family if she doesn’t put a stop to it.

There are not a lot of surprises with this novel; it is more a play on the emotions. The revelations are a bit predictable but this is still a great read as the author creates a dramatic novel worthy of the best soap opera. The only problem I had was in the ending. I am starting to see a pattern with really good dramatic novels; most of them have horrible endings. I always want more, what happened to Dana, or Peyton, or even Peyton’s fish? This is why I am a huge fan of the epilogue. Other than that it is a beautiful read, and if Carla Buckley had not created such wonderful characters I wouldn’t want to find out what happens so badly.

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Maybe Too Good To Be True By Christie McKee Review

Maybe Too Good To Be True

By Christie McKee

Gabriel March is barely keeping her head above water as her promise to keep her father’s newspaper going may sink her financially. As she is struggling to find a way to pay the electric bill a strange summons comes in the mail from Elizabeth Hastings. Elizabeth is determined to right a terrible wrong that was exacted on Gabrielle March’s family.

This was a great book, full of finding love and becoming a part of a family, but also mystery and intrigue this is a phenomenal romance novel. I loved Elizabeth Hastings though she wasn’t a main character exactly she was my favorite. Elizabeth Hastings is an eccentric rich old lady and Christie McKee truly brings her to life through snippets of her past as well as being a part of the story that is currently taking place. I review the entire book the writing, the story line, the characters, as well as the presentation of the novel. In this case I don’t understand the cover, the only thing that seems to fit is the dog, I mean the story is about a person who becomes super rich and the man she falls in love with who she first mistakes as a millionaire playboy who does nothing with his life. When I see the couple in the picture it does not scream wealth like the characters in the story did. Besides the cover I could not find anything wrong with this novel, the author is an impressive composer and has brought to life some amazing scenes, the storyline is fun and entertaining, it is definitely a book worth reading.

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Dreams and Nightmares By Ann Werner Review

Dreams and Nightmares

By Ann Werner

Decker Jones has just made it big; she is now a New York Times Bestselling Author. So what do you do to celebrate? You buy the house of your dreams and begin renovation, maybe have a date or two with a cute guy.

On the other end of the spectrum is Albert Crawford, career bank robber until it all comes to an end and he winds up behind bars for the rest of his life.

These two are on a collision course, and only one will be left alive.

Ok so I have to confess the title and the cover fooled me I thought this would be a paranormal book, man was I wrong. I really enjoyed the way that Ann Werner weaved the two stories together, two completely different lives and one epic ending. Though it is a bit predictable (well once you figure out it’s a suspense/thriller not a fantasy novel) it still manages to pull a few surprises out of the bag along the way. I wish there had been more to Decker’s relationship with the boy next door, due to the ending, other than that it’s a great read and fun till the end.

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Desert Rice By Angela Scott Review

Desert Rice

By Angela Scott

Samantha Jean Haggert is on the run with her brother Jacob after her mother dies. They must stick together since Sam is only twelve and Jacob fifteen they will do anything they can to keep from having Child Protective Services separate them. Since Sam begins to draw too much unwanted attention from men Jacob has her cut off all her hair and hides her beauty under baggy clothes and a baseball cap. But everything begins to unravel when they finally find people whom want them to become part of their family and the truth may tear them all apart.

Angela Scott has written an emotional rollercoaster of a novel with such a surprising twist towards the end that will make you cringe and cry out at the injustice of what has happened. I loved it, my husband on the other hand decided headphones was the way to go after some of the more heinous secrets where revealed. I say this more to point out that it may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it does have one of the best ending I have come across in a long time. I am trying to be as vague as possible so I will not give anything away but also to do this novel justice, it is truly an amazing read so well written and emotional charged that it is hard to set down. Warning though you may want a big box of tissues at hand just in case you turn into a geyser, it’s that good.

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Renegade by J.A. Souders Review

Renegade

The Elysium Chronicles Book One

By J.A. Souders

Evelyn Winters has been bred to be genetically perfect blonde hair blue eyes; she lives in the perfect underwater city known as Elysium. Evelyn has been adopted by Mother and is in training to become the next Mother, ruler of the city. She never questions anything until one day Gavin Hunter falls off a cliff and ends up in Elysium. Evelyn does her best to tend to the surface dwellers wounds and soon comes to realize that this surface dweller is nothing like what Mother has told the people about. With the realization she soon discovers more to this twisted web of deception that Mother has created.

What do you get when you cross an undersea city with a crazy dictator? Nothing but trouble according to the author, and I would have to agree. J.A. Souders creates a complex and beautiful society underneath the ocean then she destroys it with a fearsome villain making this a truly fascinating read. As Evelyn is trying to help Gavin escape Evelyn soon begins to unravel from the perfection she appears to be, to something much more complicated. As her “programming” begins to unravel and she starts to remember her past discovering things about her life that had been replaced with memories Mother wanted her to have. With each character and each scene the author brings to life an intense and captivating novel.

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Memoria. A Corporation of Lies By Alex Bobl Review

Memoria. A Corporation of Lies

By Alex Bobl

In futuristic New York City, Memoria Corporation offers a service that people cannot refuse erasing traumatic memories from a person’s mind.  Frank Shelby comes home one day to find his girlfriend lying strangled in his bed leading him into the maze that is Memoria. He must infiltrate Memoria to clear his name and as he does so he soon stumbles onto something much more heinous.

I love dystopian novels so it would be hard to disappoint me when I pick one up. This one though, stands out amongst the rest not only is it an adult novel (most dystopian novels lately have been geared towards young adults) but it is also plausible. The citizens must wear electronic bracelets that track the persons movements, also people who were born after the great war must have their memories wiped every year by law, add in the big bad monster is a corporation you have an interesting take on what the future could be. I have to say that this novel reminded me a lot of 1984, though with a much better ending, so if you enjoyed that one you will most definitely like this one. All in all it’s a great read full of espionage and conspiracy and the best side of humanity’s survival instinct.

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