Watcher in the Woods (Rockton: Book 4) by Kelley Armstrong

~ Jolie ~ 1 Comment
Watcher in the Woods (Rockton, #4)

4 Stars

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books

Date of publication: February 5th, 2019

Genre: Mystery, Thriller

Series: Rockton

City of the Lost—Book 1

A Darkness Absolute—Book 2

This Fallen Prey—Book 3

Watcher in the Woods—Book 4

Where you can find Watcher in the Woods: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Goodreads synopsis:

In #1 New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong’s latest thriller, the town of Rockton–and her fans–are in for another hair-raising adventure.

The secret town of Rockton has seen some rocky times lately; understandable considering its mix of criminals and victims fleeing society for refuge within its Yukon borders. Casey Duncan, the town’s only detective on a police force of three, has already faced murder, arson and falling in love in less than the year that she’s lived there. Yet even she didn’t think it would be possible for an outsider to find and cause trouble in the town she’s come to call home.

When a US Marshal shows up in town demanding the release of one of the residents, Casey and her boyfriend, Sheriff Dalton, are skeptical. And yet only hours later, the marshal is shot dead and the only visible suspects are the townspeople and her estranged sister, in town for just the weekend. It’s up to Casey to figure out who murdered the marshal, and why they would kill to keep him quiet.

My review: 

If you have been following my blog for long enough, you know my stance on picking up books mid-series. To be short, I don’t like doing it. So, when I found out that Watcher in the Woods was the 4th book in the Rockton series, I was not happy. I thought to myself “Great, going to be left feeling confused again.” Then I read the book. Watcher in the Woods isn’t a stand-alone novel, you can read it without reading the other books in the series. Which I was very thankful for.

Watcher in the Woods takes place in an area where very few books are set. The Yukon in Canada. I have only read one other book that takes place there. Any guesses about what? Yup, Call of the Wild. I also have watched Dr. Oakley, Yukon Vet. So I am familiar (well somewhat) with how big that territory is. Also, how isolated it is. Because of that, I have no problem imagining a hidden town. No problem at all.

The main character of Watcher in the Woods is Casey Duncan. She, along with her boyfriend and one other man, is the town’s police force. I wasn’t sure if I liked Casey at first. I couldn’t connect with her. But, as the book went on, I started to see that Casey was a complex person with some major issues. While I didn’t quite come to like her, I did start to admire her. She had to have some balls of steel to be in that town.

The main plotline of Watcher in the Woods involved the murder of a US Marshal who was at the town without permission. Casey and her boyfriend are put in charge of finding who the killer is. I will say that the plotline was very well written. The author did a fantastic job at keeping who the killer was under wraps until the end of the book. I can count on one hand the number of mystery/thriller books that kept me guessing until the end. Who the killer ended up being was a surprise. As was the reason why that person did what they did.

I wasn’t as thrilled with some of the secondary storylines in the book. There were some that didn’t add anything to the book. With the references to the previous books, I have a feeling that they were a continuation of storylines in those books.

The end of Watcher in the Woods was interesting. Most of the storylines were wrapped up but others were left open. I am very interested in the storyline that was begun towards the end of the book. I am looking forward to seeing where that storyline goes.

I would give Watcher in the Woods an Adult rating. There is sex (not graphic). There is violence (sometimes graphic). There is language. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread Watcher in the Woods. I would also recommend this book to family and friends.

I would like to thank the publishers, the author, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review Watcher in the Woods.

All opinions stated in Watcher in the Woods are mine.

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

The Girls at 17 Swann Street by Yara Zgheib

~ Jolie ~ 1 Comment
The Girls at 17 Swann Street

4 Stars

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Date of publication: February 5th, 2019

Genre: Women’s fiction

Where you can find The Girls at 17 Swann Street: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Goodreads synopsis:

The chocolate went first, then the cheese, the fries, the ice cream. The bread was more difficult, but if she could just lose a little more weight, perhaps she would make the soloists’ list. Perhaps if she were lighter, danced better, tried harder, she would be good enough. Perhaps if she just ran for one more mile, lost just one more pound.

Anna Roux was a professional dancer who followed the man of her dreams from Paris to Missouri. There, alone with her biggest fears – imperfection, failure, loneliness – she spirals down anorexia and depression till she weighs a mere eighty-eight pounds. Forced to seek treatment, she is admitted as a patient at 17 Swann Street, a peach pink house where pale, fragile women with life-threatening eating disorders live. Women like Emm, the veteran; quiet Valerie; Julia, always hungry. Together, they must fight their diseases and face six meals a day.

Yara Zgheib’s poetic and poignant debut novel is a haunting, intimate journey of a young woman’s struggle to reclaim her life. Every bite causes anxiety. Every flavor induces guilt. And every step Anna takes toward recovery will require strength, endurance, and the support of the girls at 17 Swann Street.

My review

Anna is wasting away. Her husband has ignored that she is starving herself to death until he finds her passed out in the bathroom. When she goes to the Dr at his urging, Anna weighs only 88 lbs. At the Dr’s urging, Anna is sent to an inpatient rehabilitation center. Her time at 17 Swann Street is eye-opening. Can Anna let the staff and therapists, along with the other girls, help her reclaim her life? Or will Anna be destined to be a regular?

Anorexia has always been one of those disorders that people dislike talking about. It isn’t talked about enough. Anorexia and bulimia (as well as compulsive overeating and other food/exercise related disorders) need to be talked about. They shouldn’t be swept under the rug.  This disorder needs to be front and center. It needs to be talked about. 

I sat and read this book within 2 hours. I didn’t plan on sitting and reading it in one sitting. It just happened. The Girls at 17 Swann Street is a fast read. It is an emotional read too. At one point, I was mad at myself because I didn’t have a box of tissues on hand to wipe my eyes. What got me was how raw Anna’s emotions were. 

I will point out that the book is written in a way that might annoy some people. It would have annoyed me if I wasn’t so taken with how the book began. The book goes between past and present with little warning. I would normally moan and groan about that but not this time. It actually worked with this book. The author was able to flawlessly go between present and past. The only issue I had was reading the clinical observations. I want to say that they were supposed to be the beginning of chapters. But because the formatting of the book was off, they ended up being in the middle of the book.

I liked how Anna’s time in the program was realistic. She had her good days and her bad days. She made progress and she regressed. There were times in the book, mainly when the stuff happened with Valerie, that I thought she wasn’t going to make it. That she was going to be a regular.

The girls in the program touched my heart also. The background that was given on some of them was heartbreaking. I also felt for the staff. They had to counsel the girls. They had to force them to eat. They had to insert feeding tubes for the ones that refused. It must have been so draining for them. But they came back day after day to help those girls.

I liked the statistics that were sprinkled in throughout the book.  There were some that I didn’t know. There were some that made my heart hurt.

I also liked how the author showed how Anna’s progression into anorexia was. From the impossibly high standards that the ballerina world holds to the ex-boyfriend who was cruel about how much Anna ate to the anxiety and guilt over her brother’s death, it was all there. It also showed that Anna’s husband chose to ignore how skinny she was getting. Chose to overlook her only eating apples and lettuce. Chose to overlook her excessive exercising. Chose to overlook those things until it was almost too late. 

The ending was what kept this book from being a 5-star review. It seemed too perfect. I am not going to get into why it seemed too perfect. All I have to say is that I was kinda “meh” about it. It was not real life.

I gave The Girls at 17 Swann Street a 4-star rating. This was a fast, emotional read. While I didn’t mind the way the book was written, I do think that some people would have an issue. I would suggest reading with a box of tissues nearby. The only thing I didn’t like about the book was the ending. It was too perfect.

I would give The Girls at 17 Swann Street an Adult rating. There is sex (not graphic but there). There is language. There is no violence. There are trigger warnings. They would be mental illness, eating disorders, talk of rape, the death of a sibling.

I would reread The Girls at 17 Swann Street. I would also reccomend this book to family and friends.

I would like to thank St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review The Girls at 17 Swann Street.

All opinions stated in this review of The Girls at 17 Swann Street are mine.

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

Have you read The Girls at 17 Swann Street?

Love it? 

Hate it?

Meh about it?

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Forget You Know Me by Jessica Strawser

~ Jolie ~ 3 Comments
Forget You Know Me

3.5 Stars

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Date of publication: February 5th, 2019

Genre: Women’s Fiction, Mystery, Thriller

Where you can find Forget You Know Me: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Goodreads synopsis:

In her engrossing new novel, Forget You Know Me, Jessica Strawser takes readers deep into an intimate friendship between two women. When one witnesses a shocking incident that should never have been caught on camera, the secrets and lies it exposes threaten to change their lives forever.

Molly and Liza have always been close in a way that people envy. Even after Molly married Daniel, both considered Liza an honorary member of their family. But after Liza moved away, things grew more strained than anyone wanted to admit—in the friendship and the marriage. 

When Daniel goes away on business, Molly and Liza plan to reconnect with a nice long video chat over wine after the kids are in bed. But when Molly leaves the room to check on a crying child, a man in a mask enters, throwing Liza into a panic—then her screen goes black. 

When Liza finally reaches Molly, her reply is icy and terse, insisting everything is fine. Liza is still convinced something is wrong, that her friend is in danger. But after an all-night drive to help her ends in a brutal confrontation, Liza is sure their friendship is over—completely unaware that she’s about to have a near miss of her own. And Molly, refusing to deal with what’s happened, won’t turn to Daniel, either. 

But none of them can go on pretending. Not after this.

Forget You Know Me exposes the wounds of people who’ve grown apart, against their will. Best friends, separated by miles. Spouses, hardened by neglect. A mother, isolated by pain. The man in the mask will change things for them all.

But who was he?

And will he be back?

My review:

Molly and Liza were besties from way back and nothing could break their friendship. After Molly got married, Liza was considered part of their family. But Liza and Molly start to grow apart. One night, during a video chat, Liza witnesses a man, dressed all in black, breaking into her friend’s house. Then the screen goes black. Panicked, Liza drives all night to find a standoffish Molly. A confrontation follows and Liza goes home. But Liza finds out, that there is no home to go to.  Forced to move in with her brother, Liza realizes that her friendship with Molly might be over. Liza also realizes that there is more going on in Molly’s life than she is letting on. Everything is tied to the man who broke into the house. Who was he? What did he want? Will he be back?

I wasn’t expecting to like Forget You Know Me as much as I did. I enjoyed reading about people who had the same issues that I do. I also enjoyed reading about how the different relationships worked in this book. What I liked, even more, was that I “got” Molly. I “got” Molly and Daniel’s relationship. As a mother to 3 and in a relationship with their father for almost 15 years, I  got that they grew apart. Heck, it happened in my relationship. Even Molly’s pains I got.  It was nice to read a book where I  connected with at least one of the main characters.

I wasn’t too sure if I liked Liza in the book. She rubbed me the wrong way for some reason. It started when she got skeeved out when Max told her that he was bi. Then it was how she acted during the dinner that Daniel and Molly throw and followed by how she treated Henry. She did come back in my eyes at the end of the book. She was able to bridge the gap between Molly and Daniel. But it was almost too late.

I didn’t like that Molly was keeping such a huge secret from Daniel. I mean, she had people tracking her down and threatening her at her job. I would have thought that she would have mentioned something to him before that. I was kind of shaking my head during that. She put herself and her family in danger.

I thought the plotline with Daniel and Toby didn’t bring anything to the story. It did explain why Daniel was so preoccupied during 90% of the book. But still, I could have done without reading it.

Same goes for the storyline with Rick, Molly, and the girls. I, for one, was in the “there is something going on between them” boat. I also had the same suspicions that Liza and Molly did about Rick. So, I was surprised when that storyline turned out the way it did.

I was surprised at who the man in the mask (from the blurb) was. I was also surprised at why he did what he did. In hindsight, I understood why. In his own screwed up way, he wanted Molly to realize that she was the same person she was before kids.

The end of Forget You Know Me was emotional. I wasn’t expecting the tears to come. But they did. So, yes, the ending will need tissues. The author did a fantastic job at bringing all the storylines together. She also did a fantastic job at wrapping the book up. 

I gave Forget You Know Me a 3.5-star review. This book was a good read. I was able to connect to at least one of the characters in the book. I liked how the author gave a no holds bar look at motherhood and relationships. She gave the good, the bad, and the ugly. I didn’t like who the man in the mask ended up being or the reason why he broke into the house. I also thought that there was extra weight with some of the plotlines. I could have done without reading about Toby and Rick.

I would give Forget You Know Me an Adult rating. There is no sex (but there are mentions of it). There is violence. There is language. There are triggers. They would be a home invasion, survivor’s guilt, threatened miscarriage, homophobia and emotional affair. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread Forget You Know Me. I would also reccomend this book to family and friends.

I would like to thank St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review Forget You Know Me.

All opinions stated in this review of Forget You Know Me are mine

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

Have you read Forget You Know Me?

Love it? 

Hate it?

Meh about it?

Let me know!!!

Shattered Reflections (McAllister Justice: Book 5) by Reily Garrett

~ Jolie ~ 3 Comments
Shattered Reflections: Fire and Ice were never meant to coexist (McAllister Justice Series Book 5) by [Garrett, Reily]

4 Stars

Publisher:

Date of publication: February 3rd, 2019

Genre: Romance, Suspense, Thriller, Mystery

Series: McAllister Justice

Tender Echoes—Book 0.5

Digital Velocity—Book 1

Bound by Shadows—Book 2

Inconclusive Evidence—Book 3 (review here)

Carbon Replacements—Book 4 (review here)

Shattered Reflections—Book 5

Where you can find Shattered Reflections: Amazon

Goodreads synopsis:

Strong-willed and stubborn, Kathryn Nugle enters a man’s profession, untested, inexperienced, and determined to solve a decades-old puzzle.

Intuition flagged her client’s deception but didn’t solve the mystery of his jacket’s crimson stain, yet blood doesn’t lie. When the victim leaves damning evidence behind, fate throws Kathryn into a cascade of events that will challenge her survival skills.
Mathew McAllister is the eldest of six siblings, all current or former detectives. Practical jokes and pranks are part and parcel of his daily life. The newest addition to the family fold is a wisecracking hacker who mangles his strained equanimity and tests his patience in Morse code, security breaches, and invasion of his cherished privacy.
When a vicious murder paints a target on one of their own, the McAllisters close ranks to ferret out the twisted intentions of a serial killer. For fans of Sandra Brown and Lee Child, Shattered Reflections is an exciting thriller with a romantic twist.

My review:

Katt is a young PI who has gotten in over her head with her current case. What was supposed to be a shut and close case turns into something more. Katt turns to Matthew McAllister after she is assaulted while on the job. As the attempts on her life get more and more brazen, Katt is also forced to face her feelings for Matthew. Will Katt get the man and the bad guy?

Matthew is the eldest of the McAllister siblings. Known for his unshockable demeanor and even temperament, Matt is content in his life. That is until he met Katt. Katt turns is comfortable, boring world upside down. When Katt is targeted by the people who are looking for his client, Matthew steps in to help her. He is also forced to accept that his feelings for Katt. Can he keep Katt safe? Will Matt finally man up and tell Katt how he feels?

I loved Katt. Any lingering doubts or concerned (from Carbon Replacements) were smashed in this book. I saw a different side to Katt than what was shown in the previous book. She was softer in this book. She was more transparent with her feelings. I did think that she was a bit immature. She kept taking off whenever her feelings got hurt. That might be the only thing that I didn’t like about her.

Matt annoyed me for a majority of the book. Before I get into why I will say that I did like him. He was a great brother and he put up with a lot from his younger siblings. Now onto why he annoyed me. He kept denying his feeling for Katt. He kept throwing up excuses about her age. Even when he was confronted by Laredo at the hospital and his brothers later on in the book, he still kept denying. I got so frustrated with him. There was a point in the book where I wanted to jump in, smack him upside the head, and say “Dude, just admit that you love her.“

The main storyline in Shattered Reflections was well written. I liked that I knew who the bad guys were, well for the most part. The author did a great job at keeping the suspense level high in the book. I loved not knowing what was going to happen next. It kept me glued to the book.

The secondary storylines were excellent and added depth to the storyline. The one with Katt’s parents was heartbreaking. It explained a lot. I also thought the backstory on the bad guys were interesting. I did like the turn that Denny’s storyline took. I was not expecting it to end up that way!!

The sexual tension in this book was insane. It drove me nuts. I did like that the author used some raunchy humor to offset some of it. The Bob comments were hilarious. As was Matt’s reaction to it. I was dying laughing.

When Matt and Katt finally did have sex, it intense. What I liked is that there was only one sex scene in the entire book and that it was towards the end. So, I went the entire book with them trading sexual barbs and the occasional Bob comment. It was fantastic.

I was sad at the end of Shattered Reflections. Don’t get me wrong, the ending was perfect. The author did a fantastic job at wrapping up all the storylines. What made me sad was that it seems like this is going to be the end of the series. I hope not. But, there are no more siblings. Well, there’s Abby but I think she’s married.

I would give Shattered Reflections an Adult rating. There is sex (not graphic). There is language. There is violence. There are triggers. They would be neglect. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread Shattered Reflections. I would also recommend it to family and friends.

I would like to thank the author for allowing me to read and review Shattered Reflections.

All opinions stated in this review of Shattered Reflections are mine.

One Tough Cowboy (Moving Violations: Book 1) by Lora Leigh and Veronica Chadwick

~ Jolie ~ 3 Comments
One Tough Cowboy (Moving Violations #1)

4 Stars

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Paperback

Date of publication: January 29th, 2019

Genre: Romance, Suspense

Series: Moving Violations

One Tough Cowboy—Book 1

Where you can find One Tough Cowboy: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Goodreads synopsis:

First in a brand-new series from #1 New York Times bestselling author Lora Leigh and Veronica Chadwick about one man’s pursuit of justice—and unbridled desire. 

LAW AND ORDER. 
For as long as Samantha can remember, Hunter—a man as strong as steel, with a heart of gold—has been her hero. It came as no surprise to Samantha when she found out that the ranch-hardened cowboy who always protected her from bullies went on to become the town’s sheriff. What does surprise her is how incredibly hot he still is. And how much she still wants him…

PRIDE AND PASSION

And, lo and behold, Hunter still has feelings for Samantha. The long-smoldering heat of their innocent flirtation has grown into a full-raging fire. But when tragedy strikes and their small-town community is shattered, Hunter vows to do everything he can to keep his childhood sweetheart safe. But can Samantha trust that Hunter has her best interests at heart…and that, after all these years, his love is true?

My review:

I needed to read One Tough Cowboy. I had come off a string of books that had some heavy subjects in them. I needed a book that I could read, not worry about the plotline and enjoy. I got that in this book.

The plot of One Tough Cowboy was pretty simple. Samantha has come back to the town she grew up in for her beloved Aunt’s funeral. She is also there to investigate her aunt’s death. See, her aunt overdosed on pain medication. The only thing, she didn’t like to take it and that was a well-known fact. Which made her death very suspicious not only to Samantha but to Hunter, the sheriff for her hometown. The deeper Samantha and Hunter dig into her death, the more danger they both are in. Who killed Samantha’s aunt? And why?

I liked Samantha. She was going to back down when it came to investigating her aunt’s death. As a detective in the Detroit police force, she was tough. She wasn’t going to let anyone stand in her way. I was chanting, in my head, “You go girl” every time she did something that empowered herself. Loved it!!

I wasn’t as big of a fan of Hunter. I liked him at the beginning of the book. He knew something shady was going on. There was a string of suspicious deaths which included his uncle. But he lost his mind as soon as Samantha arrived. Strike that. As soon as he had sex with her. Then it went all downhill from there. He spent all his free time (which seemed to be a lot) in bed with her. People were starting to comment on it. I kinda wanted to shake him and say “Dude, it can’t be that good.” But since it is a book, I had to be satisfied with muttering to myself.

I will say that the sex scenes were scorching hot. The sparks between Hunter and Samantha were hard to ignore. I figured that they would have sex early in the book. But, they had hot sex every single time. Every single time. It was amazing that the author could keep that sexual attraction and tension up the entire book. I mean, with most books, they usually lost it after the first encounter. I also liked that there was a bit of voyeurism in this book. Hunter got caught watching his friend nail a chick outside his house. People kept walking in on Samantha and Hunter as they were messing around. That made the sex spicier and, dare I say, hotter?

The suspense angle was wonderfully written too. You knew who the major players were early in the book. But, what they were doing was kept under wraps until almost the end of the book. I was taken by surprise at what was going on. But, at the same time, I had no problem imagining what was going on actually happening in real life.

There are a few disturbing scenes that are later on in the book. There is an attempted rape (well, there was penetration with fingers. Is that considered rape?). It was graphic and disturbed me.

I didn’t like how the book ended. Not getting into it but I would be pissed if I was woken up and told that. Talk about rushing into something. Jeeze.

I would give One Tough Cowboy an Adult rating. There is explicit sex. There is violence. There is language. There are trigger warnings. They would be attempted rape, human trafficking, and domestic violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread One Tough Cowboy. I would also recommend this book to family and friends.

I would like to thank the publisher, the authors, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review One Tough Cowboy.

All opinions stated in this review of One Tough Cowboy are mine.

Illegally Yours (Laws of Attraction: Book 2) by Kate Meader

~ Jolie ~ 2 Comments
Illegally Yours (Laws of Attraction, #2)

3 Stars

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group, Loveswept

Date of publication: January 22nd, 2019

Genre: Romance

Series: Laws of Attraction

Down with Love—Book 1 (review here)

Illegally Yours—Book 2

Then Came You—Book 3 (expected publication date: May 7th, 2019)

Where you can find Illegally Yours: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Goodreads synopsis:

Rule #1: Never fall for your client.
Rule #2: Never fall for your client’s fiercely protective, smoking hot sister-in-law.

I’m the kind of guy who believes that everyone deserves the best legal representation money can buy—which just so happens to be me, Lucas Wright. Give me your henpecked, your cuckolded, your irreconcilable differences yearning to break free! And if you’re the bad guy in your marriage, that’s cool too. Your green is as good as anyone’s.

Tell that to Trinity Jones. It’s my job to destroy her sister—the soon-to-be ex-wife of my a-hole of a client—and Trinity’s “big sis” instincts are dialed up to the max. I admire that. I admire her. But she won’t stop me from representing my client to the best of my ability.

Not even if my chemistry with Trinity is undeniable. Not even if we can’t keep our hands off each other. Not even if she injects life into a heart assumed to be long dead.

Because when faced with a choice between love and duty, the job will always win—or at least that’s what I thought before I met Trinity . . . and suddenly conflict of interest never felt so right. 

My review:

Lucas wasn’t looking for a relationship when he met Trinity. Immediately taken with her, he decided that he would charm her into going on a date with him. But that was easier said than done. Lucas is a divorce attorney who is representing Trinity’s soon to be ex-brother in law. If he started a relationship with Trinity, it would be a violation of the ethics oath that he took. The only way around that is if his client agrees to let Lucas date her. Will that happen?

Trinity was working as a whiskey sommelier. She was also happy taking care of her niece and nephew while her sister is going through a bitter divorce. She wasn’t expecting the hot British man that she is lusting after to be her soon to be ex-brother in law’s attorney.  A conflict of interest arises for her. If she dates Lucas, she will risk hurting her sister. If she doesn’t date Lucas, she could miss out. What will she do?

I was wondering who was going to be the next book in the Law of Attraction series. I had it between Grant/Aubrey or Lucas. So when I saw that it was Lucas’s story, I was interested. Lucas had caught my attention in Down with Love. I needed to read it. 

I was a little disappointed with Illegally Yours. Why was I disappointed? It didn’t deliver on the blurb. When I read the blurb, I got the sense that this was going to be a fun book. A book where the characters find themselves in situations that would make me laugh. Not the case here. The majority of the book was spent with the both of them stressed out over being together. Not to mention that individually, they each had major stress.

I did like Lucas and Trinity together as a couple, though. They were cute together. Together, they made me laugh. Their personalities meshed. They made me smile. I rooted for them too. Everything was balanced against them. I was hoping that their story would end up a happy one. I was worried at one point (after that scene with Brian).

 They also had insane chemistry together. Sparks flew when they were together. I had an inner bet going with myself about when those sparks would combust. When they did combust, it made for some pretty awesome sex. 

I liked Trinity. She put up with a lot throughout her life. Because she was biracial, she dealt with that crap (from family and general public). She dealt with crap from being a woman sommelier. She had issues with her brother in law. The depth of those issues stunned me. I wasn’t expecting it to be that, which in turn made me want to smack her sister into next Tuesday. I liked her humor with the age range. She wasn’t exactly a cougar….lol.

I thought Lucas at the beginning and middle of the book was immature. Every scene that he was in, he grated on my nerves. He had to be the center of attention. I have to keep this Amazon PC but I would call him an “Attention W***e”. Just saying.  I did feel bad for him when it was revealed what happened to Lizzie and how his childhood was. I wouldn’t go as far to say that he matured towards the end of the book but he did get better. His restraint at the end of the book made me laugh.

There were dropped storylines. Also, important elements of the storyline not talked about until almost the end of the book. Take for instance Trinity’s attacker. It affected her to the point where she had nightmares about it (years after the event). Lucas took notice when he stayed over when she was sick. Then there was no mention of it after that, even though it was mentioned a few times in the first half of the book. 

The end of Illegally Yours was bittersweet. I am glad that Lucas and Trinity got their HEA but I wished things could have been different with Lizzie. That broke my heart. The epilogue was awesome. I loved it. I also liked how the author set up for the next book!!

I gave Illegally Yours a 3-star rating. This was not my favorite book by Kate Meader. It didn’t deliver on the blurb. There were dropped plotlines. I also thought Lucas was immature. There were things I liked about the book. I liked Lucas and Trinity together as a couple. The sex scenes were hot. The ending was bittersweet. The epilogue was awesome!!

I would give Illegally Yours an Adult rating. There is explicit sex. There is language. There is violence. There are triggers. They would be divorce, cheating, neglect of a child and parental alienation. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book. 

I am on the fence if I would reread Illegally Yours. I am also on the fence if I would reccomend this book to family and friends.

I would like to thank Random House Publishing Group, Loveswept, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review Illegally Yours. 

All opinions stated in this review of Illegally Yours are mine.

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

Have you read Illegally Yours?

Love it? 

Hate it?

Meh about it?

Let me know!!!

The Wartime Sisters by Lynda Cohen Loigman

~ Jolie ~ 2 Comments

The Wartime Sisters

4 Stars

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Date of publication: January 22nd, 2019

Genre: Historical Fiction

 Where you can find The Wartime Sisters: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Goodreads Synopsis:

Two estranged sisters, raised in Brooklyn and each burdened with her own shocking secret, are reunited at the Springfield Armory in the early days of WWII. While one sister lives in relative ease on the bucolic Armory campus as an officer’s wife, the other arrives as a war widow and takes a position in the Armory factories as a “soldier of production.” Resentment festers between the two, and secrets are shattered when a mysterious figure from the past reemerges in their lives.

My review:

I wasn’t sure about reading The Wartime Sisters when I got approached to review it. I am not a fan of historical fiction. I have been burnt by too many books that were dry and uninteresting to read. I was afraid that this was going to be the case with The Wartime Sisters. And I almost turned it down. But something about the blurb caught my attention. With that, I decided to accept the request.

The Wartime Sisters is the story of Ruth and Millie. Ruth and Millie have been estranged since their parents were killed in an automobile accident. Before the accident, Ruth resented Millie. Ruth blamed Millie for stealing her boyfriends, for being popular and for being the apple of their parents eye. Millie, however, doesn’t understand why Ruth is so cold and distant to her. When Millie’s husband dies overseas, she writes to Ruth, asking for help. Ruth agrees to let Millie and her son live with them. When Millie arrives in Springfield, she finds that Ruth hasn’t changed. Ruth grows more bitter the longer Millie stays with them. But Ruth and Millie have secrets. Secrets that could destroy their relationship if they came to light. Can Ruth get over the past to help Millie in the present? Or will she allow past resentments color what she thinks of Millie? Can Millie trust Ruth enough to tell her about her secret?

I didn’t like Ruth one bit. I didn’t like how she treated Millie. I thought it was disgusting that she held on to old resentments. She was afraid that Millie was going to one-up her. I wanted to shake her and say “Get over it!!“. What she did the night of her parents funeral was awful. The author did try to change her character by having her confront Grace Peabody. It didn’t matter. I didn’t like her.

I liked Millie and I felt bad for her. I liked how the author wrote her side of the story. I understood why she left out parts of her story when she moved in with Ruth. I do think that she was unfairly judged by people. They saw how good-looking she was and thought she wasn’t that bright. Which was far from the truth. She was also stronger than most of the women in this book.

I liked Lillian. But I didn’t understand why she was getting her own chapters until later in the book. She was an amazing woman. She had been through so much in her life and she still looked on the brighter side of things. She didn’t dwell on things she couldn’t change. What she did for Millie was nothing short of amazing.

Aria was brought in later in the book. Again, I didn’t understand why she was getting her own chapters but I soon realized why about the same time I understood why Lillian did. She brought an outside perspective to Ruth and Millie’s relationship. She was the only person in the book who dared to call Ruth out on her treatment of Millie. She also was the only one who stood up to Grace and her husband when things were going down. Aria was a true friend to Millie.

I liked how the author wrote Millie’s secret into the book. I also liked what she did to get rid of it. That was also a turning point in Ruth and Millie’s relationship.

I loathed Grace Peabody. She was a nasty woman who got everything that she deserved. I do wish that her husband got the same treatment.

I did like that I got a better understanding of what a woman did to support her soldier/country during World War II. I thought it was fascinating what Millie did. I also liked the location. Having grown up in the NE part of MA, I love it when any part is represented in a book. Double kudos if it is in a positive light.

The end of the book was sweet. I liked that Millie and Ruth were moving towards a better relationship. The author did a great job at ending all the storylines. I had a question about the Aria/Fitz one. Other than that, perfect!!

What I liked about The Wartime Sisters:

  1. The storyline
  2. Mille
  3. How Millie’s secret was written in and out of the book

What I disliked about The Wartime Sisters:

  1. Ruth
  2. Grace Peabody
  3. Aria/Fitz relationship left up in the air

I gave The Wartime Sisters a 4-star rating. I liked the storyline and Mille. I also liked how Millie’s secret was written in and out of the story. It was Ruth who killed the book for me. She was miserable the entire book.

I would give The Wartime Sisters an Adult rating. There is no sex. There is no language. There is some mild violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread The Wartime Sisters. I would also recommend this book to family and friends.

I would like to thank St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review The Wartime Sisters.

All opinions expressed in this review of The Wartime Sisters are mine.

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

Katie’s Highlander (Highlander Protector: Book 3) by Maeve Greyson

~ Jolie ~ 1 Comment
Katie's Highlander (Highlander Protector, #3)

3.5 Stars

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Loveswept, Loveswept

Date of publication: January 22nd, 2019

Genre: Romance, Historical Fiction

Series: Highland Protector

Sadie’s Highlander—Book 1 (review here)

Joanna’s Highlander—Book 2 (review here)

Katie’s Highlander—Book 3

Where you can find Katie’s Highlander: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Goodreads synopsis:

An archaeologist with a zest for life finds herself stranded in small-town North Carolina—with a brooding Highland hunk who’s straight out of ancient Scotland.

Ramsay MacDara wishes the goddesses had left his arse back in the tenth century. That way he never would have met the gold digger who made a fool out of him. A loner at heart, Ramsay is riding his beloved horse through the woods near his family’s North Carolina theme park, Highland Life and Legends, when he hears tires squealing—followed by a thud—and rushes to the scene to help. That’s when he sets his eyes on a pair of long legs sticking out of the moon roof of a car. His interest piqued, the rest of her will soon arouse his greatest desires…and deepest fears.

Archaeologist Katie Jenson is on a six-month sabbatical from her job at Princeton University. Following the death of her beloved father—whose dying request was for Katie to live life to the fullest—she’s headed to a friend’s beach house in North Carolina. But a momentary distraction takes her off the road and on the journey of her life…with a sex god in a kilt at her side. Ramsay’s passion is the stuff of legend—and it just may be Katie’s greatest discovery.

My review:

I was stoked when I saw that there was the 3rd book in the Highlander Protector series. I wasn’t sure who the next was going to be about. I had a 50/50 chance of it being either Ramsay or Ross. When I read the blurb, I had a mini-freakout because it was Ramsay. I loved Ramsay in Joanna’s Highlander. I couldn’t wait to read the book.

While I did like Katie’s Highlander, I thought that it fell short in several areas. The plotline didn’t seem as well developed as the previous books. The characters didn’t seem as vibrant.

There were things that I did like about the book. I thought that Katie was a perfect heroine. I loved Ramsay. And while I thought the plotlines weren’t as developed as the previous books, I did like reading them.

Kate was a hoot in this book. I loved that she owned her geekiness. That she knew her self worth. She was raised to value herself above everything else. It was an amazing message to read. More people, women especially, need to know that. I liked how real she was. Except for the driving while looking at the constellations. That wasn’t real. That was kinda stupid. But, in hindsight, she wouldn’t have met Ramsay.

I loved Ramsay in this book. He had been hurt by his ex-fiancee. He didn’t want to like Katie. Heck, he didn’t want to fall in love with her. I did think that he was a bit stubborn at times in the book. When he realized that he was in love with Katie, he was willing to let her go so she could be happy.

There is Instalove in this book. Katie and Ramsay meet and fall in love within 2 days. I do wish that there was more time for them to get to know each other. 2 days didn’t cut it with me.

I wasn’t expecting Katie and Ramsay to go back in time. It was a nice twist in the plot and gave the book that added “ummph” that was needed. I liked seeing Katie’s reactions to being in Medieval Scotland. She was out of her element and wanted to go home. I didn’t blame her.

The other twist in the plotline was not expected. It didn’t add anything to the plotline because Ramsay was so accepting of what happened. That made me to “WTH“. I was waiting for the other shoe to drop with it. Like something bad happening to Katie. So, I wasn’t expecting it when it ended the way it did. It was another “WTH” situation.

I did like the sex scenes but I didn’t love them. I was a little skeeved about the period sex. I also didn’t appreciate the scene where Ramsay was cleaning himself off after sex. We all know guys do it but reading about it. No thank you.

The end of Katie’s Highlander was bittersweet. I loved that Katie made the right choice. I also like how Ross and Esme put Adam in his place.

I gave Katie’s Highlander an Adult rating. There are sex and sexual situations. There is language. There is violence. There are triggers. They would be the death of a parent and child abuse. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread Katie’s Highlander. I would also recommend this book to family and friends.

I would like to thank the publisher, the author, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review Katie’s Highlander.

All opinions stated in this review of Katie’s Highlander are mine.

The Secret Bloodline by SE Bloom

~ Jolie ~ 1 Comment

3.5 Stars (rounded up to 4 stars)

Publisher:

Date of publication: January 16th, 2018

Genre: Fantasy, Romance

Where you can find The Secret Bloodline: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Goodreads synopsis:

What if your destiny was beyond imagining? 
Dolma was happy with her life 
working at the Dexter Corporation from home in a telecommuting position. She didn’t have a boyfriend, and the prospects were not good in that department, but she was used to it. 
The world suddenly changed one day. 
Her boss, Jessica, demanded that she start working from the office. Her roommate started urging her to take the new position. Everybody was suddenly making demands of her that seemed to be coordinated. 
She met a man that she had dreamed of, and he told her that she was in danger. The man was Lucas, and he told her of two great houses, each wanting her to join them, and that they would try to kill her if she did not join them. 
Dolma was suddenly thrust into a world of immortals with strange powers, and she realized that her future was uncertain. Lucas assured her that she could become the most powerful of them all, but before that happened, 
she would have to leave with him. 
Together, they flee from the two bloodlines of the gods, and Lucas begins to train Dolma in how to use her dormant powers. The danger and the protective nature of Lucas, along with some unbelievably wonderful sex tells Dolma that Lucas is the man that she would love. 
Will they have the chance to be happy together, or would death come for them both?

My review:

The Secret Bloodline is about Dolma. Dolma was your ordinary girl. She telecommuted to work for the Dexter Corporation. She didn’t have a boyfriend. She did have an on again/off again sexual relationship with her roommate. She was content with her life. Until the day that her life went sideways. Her boss wants her to start working from the office. Her roommate is urging her to take the position. Then she meets Lucas, who she dreamed about. What he tells her is a story about gods, immortals, and dual bloodlines. He also tells her that she is in great danger and her only hope is to go with him. Fleeing with him, Dolma soon realizes that her power is greater than what Lucas thought. What will happen to Dolma and Lucas? Will they be happy together?

The Secret Bloodline is a short book, at 135 pages. Even though it is short, it does pack a lot of stuff in it. This is also not your typical paranormal romance. There are no vampires or shifters. Instead, the author chose to take the ancient gods of the Sumerians and make them the focal point of the book. The author added her own spin to the Annunaki, which I thought was fascinating.

I was a little disappointed with the lack of character development in the book. I wanted to know more about Lucas. I wanted to know about his background and how he came to be immortal. It was hinted at in the book but nothing else was said about it. I also thought that Dolma could have had more padding added to her backstory.

I will say that the sex scenes were out of this world hot. When you start off a chapter with the main female choking on the head of the shaft of the main male, you know it is going to be good.

The paranormal angle of the book was great. It was refreshing to read a paranormal romance that didn’t have a vamp or a shifter in it. Instead, the author had Dolma have precognitive abilities. They were outlined perfectly in the book.

The end of the book seemed a bit rushed. I was a little skeptical that the two warring bloodlines would do what they did because Lucas called them. But, hey, it worked. The author did wrap up all the storylines and left nothing open.

I would give The Secret Bloodline an Adult rating. There is explicit sex. There is language. There is violence. There are no triggers. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread The Secret Bloodline. I would also recommend this book to family and friends.

I would like to thank the author for allowing me to read and review The Secret Bloodline.

All opinions stated in this review of The Secret Bloodline are mine.

Death March Escape by Jack J. Hersch

~ Jolie ~ 5 Comments

5 Stars

Publisher: Frontline Books

Date of publication: January 19th, 2019

Genre: Nonfiction, Biography, Memoirs

Where to find Death March Escape: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Goodreads synopsis:

In June 1944, the Nazis locked eighteen-year-old Dave Hersch into a railroad boxcar and shipped him from his hometown of Dej, Hungary, to Mauthausen Concentration Camp, the harshest, cruelest camp in the Reich. After ten months in the granite mines of Mauthausen’s nearby sub-camp, Gusen, he weighed less than 80lbs, nothing but skin and bones.

Somehow surviving the relentless horrors of these two brutal camps, as Allied forces drew near Dave was forced to join a death march to Gunskirchen Concentration Camp, over thirty miles away. Soon after the start of the march, and more dead than alive, Dave summoned a burst of energy he did not know he had and escaped. Quickly recaptured, he managed to avoid being killed by the guards. Put on another death march a few days later, he achieved the impossible: he escaped again.

Dave often told his story of survival and escape, and his son, Jack, thought he knew it well. But years after his father’s death, he came across a photograph of his father on, of all places, the Mauthausen Memorial’s website. It was an image he had never seen before – and it propelled him on an intensely personal journey of discovery.

Using only his father’s words for guidance, Jack takes us along as he flies to Europe to learn the secrets behind the photograph, secrets his father never told of his time in the camps. Beginning in the verdant hills of his father’s Hungarian hometown, we travel with Jack to the foreboding rock mines of Mauthausen and Gusen concentration camps, to the dust-choked roads and intersections of the death marches, and, finally, to the makeshift hiding places of his father’s rescuers. We accompany Jack’s every step as he describes the unimaginable: what his father must have seen and felt while struggling to survive in the most abominable places on earth.

In a warm and emotionally engaging story, Jack digs deeply into both his father’s life and his own, revisiting – and reflecting on – his father’s time at the hands of the Nazis during the last year of the Second World War, when more than mere survival was at stake – the fate of humanity itself hung in the balance.

My review:

It is rare that I read nonfiction. It is even rarer that I review it. I do make an exception for anything written about WW2 and the Holocaust. When I was approached by the publisher to review Death March Escape, I accepted without hesitation.

This book was haunting. Excellent but haunting. The author did a fantastic job of telling the story of his father’s escapes from 2 different points of views. The first being his father’s point of view. The second being his. Jack’s story was intertwined with his father. He would write about the Seder where his father told him the story of his escapes. Then he would write about what he did. His journey to Mauthausen and Gusen. His following of his father’s escape routes. It was amazing to read. I don’t like it when a book does that. But, in this book, it worked.

There are some brutal scenes in this book. This book will make you cry. From the minute Jack’s father is separated from his mother to the scene where he is liberated, I cried. Like Jack, I did wonder at how this 17/18-year-old boy survived mentally. Like Jack, I came to the conclusion that he had to disassociate from everything that he was seeing/experiencing. That is the only way he survived.

I also had tears during Jack’s part of the book. He had grown up with tales of his father’s imprisonment. It wasn’t until he actually went to Mauthausen and Gusen that he understood exactly what his father went through. Those were some of the toughest scenes to read. Knowing what he did, seeing the concentration camps and then realizing that his father glossed over what happened. My heart broke for him.

This was not an easy book to read. Nothing that is written about the Holocaust is. But, it needs to be read. That way future generations can learn.

I would give Death March Escape an Adult rating. There is no sex. There is violence. There is some mild language. There are trigger warnings. They would be concentration camps, separation of family, the death of parents, the death of siblings and extreme cruelty. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread Death March Escape. I would also recommend this book to family and friends.

I would like to thank the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review Death March Escape.

All opinions stated in this review of Death March Escape are mine.