ARC REVIEW Summer of Love by Sidney Bristol

The Love Barn #2, I'm loving the Lively's. The only weddings Benjamin Lively is worried about are the ones that take place at his families wedding venue The Love Barn. Benji is enjoying life and has no plans to settle down himself anytime soon that is until he sees Dixie again. Dixie Applewhite is finally free from her husband after a grueling two year long divorce she plans to make up for lost time and she decides a summer fling with her secret high school crush Benji is just the thing she needs.

Benji has had a crush on Dixie since high school but he respected that she was in a relationship with someone else. Dixie was with Jace since she was 13 and she always thought him her Prince Charming until he wasn't any more. Dixie realized he was controlling and she had changed so much about herself to please him and his mother; it wasn't worth it anymore she wanted to be back in charge of her life. Being single for the first time in forever Dixie wasn't ready for a full fledged relationship so Benji and her started with just friendship until the sexual tension couldn't be ignored. Benji's problem was that he was already half in love with Dixie and the longer they are together the more the fling becomes something real.

Overall, this was a good read. It's written in third person mainly from over the shoulder of Benji and Dixie.I love Sidney Bristol's writing she really brings her characters to life and you empathize with them so much. That little Texas town of Ransom has become so real for me. Elizabeth better get her own HEA, I don't care what series it's in she just needs one! I liked the progression of the relationship and how stubborn Dixie was. I loved the side story with Garth, Benji's older brother, that really showed how much a person, ie. Benji, can mature when they need to. The little tease about Garth and the next book at the end was nice, I was hoping that was going to happen so I can't wait for that book.   

ARC REVIEW Dangerous Secrets by Sidney Bristol

Aegis Group #6, Another fantastic, adventurous, romantic suspense from Sidney Bristol. The Aegis group is back with Ryan Scott. Ryan has to face the consequences of his playboy lifestyle when Carson shows up on his doorstep claiming to be pregnant with his child. It's not hard for Ryan to believe he slept with Carson she's exactly his type but he can't believe he was foolish enough to forget his night with her; what's done is done and Ryan welcomes Carson into his home with open arms. Ryan's roommates aren't as convinced and when the truth comes out Ryan is hurt and feels betrayed; he also knows there has to be more to the story that what she's telling. Ryan isn't going to let Carson go without a fight and he's willing to go up against anybody to protect her even if it's the FBI.

I'm very picky about the playboys I like. Ryan I really liked. He drinks to excess and sleeps around and uses that as his destresser but when faced with the consequences of his lifestyle he steps up he reevaluates his life and realizes it can't go on like this anymore. Carson is stuck between a rock and a hard place and the only way she can think of to get Ryan's protection without telling him anything is to lie. I wasn't thrilled with how she went about it but I understand her reasoning I ended up really liking her character. Together Ryan and Carson are sweet, I enjoyed them as a couple I loved how ready for fatherhood Ryan was and how forgiving he was, eventually, when the truth came out.

Overall, I can't say no to a Sidney Bristol book especially her romantic suspense. The third person POV switches from character to characters so I can be the omniscient reader I love being. The descriptive narrative and the wonderfully complex characters is just icing on cake of a fantastic well paced exciting story.  

ARC REVIEW Dangerous in Charge by Sidney Bristol

Aegis Group Alpha Team #5, Team Leader Kyle Martin finally gets his HEA. I can not tell you how much I enjoy it when Sidney Bristol writes serial killers. You are guaranteed a thrill ride, her active setting just brings everything to life, the action scenes are intense, the romance hot, and the bad guy is evil to last drop. Kyle Martin and Bethany Rossi have known each other for a year in a strictly professional manner, Bethany was his father's caregiver and for her to last that long with his verbally and sometime physically abusive father showed Kyle just how strong a person she is and Bethany almost quit  right of the back but she saw how Kyle was going through the same crap she just went through and she figured in her mind no matter how bad it got Kyle wouldn't abandon his father and she couldn't let him go through all that alone so she stayed. They formed their own friendship that centered around Kyle's father but now that his Dad is dead there is no real reason for them to see each other anymore.

Beth has a few things in common with her roommates, one they are all in the medical profession and two they have all cut themselves from their family for reasons of their own. Bethany cut herself off from her family when they picked her abusive fiance over her. After some really bad dates Bethany decided to not date for a year, to get to know who she is and what she really wants out of a relationship, she's half way through that year when Kyle's Dad dies. Megan, one of Bethany's roommates, goes missing and the only person she can think to ask for help is Kyle; from what his father told her about his job she knows he finds people. The police said it's to early but she knows something is wrong, Kyle who is on bereavement leave and is looking for something to keep him busy and keep his mind off of his dad and because it's Beth asking he readily agrees to help. After tracking down Megan's parents they discover that Megan has been more than likely kidnapped by a serial killer who has been active for the last thirty years and never caught, never even come close to catching. Not just that but this particular killer hunts in groups of three and Bethany and her other roommate Faith are targets too.

Kyle and Bethany get pretty hot and heavy but neither of them think they are in a good place to start a relationship. Bethany still has six months on her self imposed no dating year and Kyle thinks he's to broken for her. With the Triple Threat Killer still on the loose emotions are running hot and tempers are flaring and things just keep getting worse and worse for Bethany and her roommates. Overall, this was an outstanding read. The emotional rollercoaster between Kyle and Beth gets little tiresome at the end and she does something stupid but with how screwed up everything was at that point she wasn't thinking straight and it worked with the story, but I still had that knee jerk reaction of, "really, you going to be that stupid?" other than that I loved the book and it had a great ending.   

ARC REVIEw Dangerously Taken by Sidney Bristol

Aegis Group Lepta Team #1, Oooooo Lepta Team for the win! Riley is adorable. Lepta Team is the high profile VIP rescue team of the Aegis Group. We met Grant, the team leader, and Riley in the previous book, reading the other books is not necessary to enjoy this one. There is a new member to the team, Melody, she is the liaison between the client and the team. Grant and Melody do not get along, but that's for another book (Sidney you tease). I loved this book it has a sweet, funny, and strong hero, Riley; a strong, intelligent, and determined heroine, Erin, and an evil not-so-mastermind determined to keep the truth from coming out. Erin and Riley are hot the book managed to keep me warm when it was so cold in my house; Erin is Iraqi/Cuban that just sounds hot. There was plenty of action and suspense, Bristol's scenes are always well thought out and easy to follow they get your heart pumping and your butt to the edge of the seat.

Lepta Team has been in Egypt long enough that Riley's mother is starting to worry about him but he has one last job before they are due some leave. The next assignment is a doozy. Erin Lopez is a civilian translator working with a big corporate company who is helping to rebuild after the war in the Kurdistan region of Iraq and now she's been kidnapped. But the whole thing doesn't feel right after they successfully rescue Erin, they have to wonder why no ransom was asked and why Erin? Erin knows it has to be something more than just the SNAFU that happened previously and she's not leaving Kurdistan until she finds out why. But the longer she stays in the country the more attempts on her life she barely evades. Riley was drawn to Erin from the moment he saw her picture and the more time he spends with her the more he likes her. Riley's job isn't very relationship friendly he's' often gone for weeks at a time and with Erin's job he worries that they'll never see each other and every other problem he can think of that might happen. Erin knows what she wants and she's not afraid to go after it, even when Riley is hesitant because he doesn't want to seem like he's taking advantage of the situation. 

I love this new team I can't wait for the other four books to come out, but Riley really is a sweetie. Overall, this was an exciting story and a great romance. I loved that even Casey, Riley's brother, who we met in Fighting Redemption shows up in the latter half of the book. The Aegis series just continues to get better and better and Bristol never fails to satisfy with her romantic suspense.    

ARC REVIEW Fighting His Desire by Sidney Bristol

Fighting His Desire is book four of Sidney Bristol's So Inked series. Well it was bound to happen eventually, I found this one just okay. I liked the story, I liked the sex, I liked the way it ended, I just found the characters (mostly Jenny) kind of aggravating and how they reacted to the situation (again mostly Jenny) aggravating; and it's not in that perverse good way I like aggravating things no I really just wanted to reach into my Kindle and smack Jenny. Another thing, and it is completely my own fault for this one but I really felt like I only got half the story and I didn't get why certain characters reacted the way they did because I don't know their backstories, so my own fault for not reading the previous books.

Lucas fell in love with his cousin's wife, Jenny, his cousin, Walker, was a complete douchebag and made Jenny's life hell. Jenny and Lucas became fast friends, Lucas was there went Jenny needed someone to talk to and even though the emotion and the want was there they never acted on their feelings. One night Lucas tried to talk Jenny into seeing what a horrible person Walker was with all the drinking and drugs and cheating on her. Jenny angry and confused with her own emotions got mad and told Lucas to go away, and he did. Shortly after that Walker was arrested and sent to prison and Jenny filed for divorce. But Lucas has a secret and Jenny can never know.

Some time later Lucas comes back his friends at the So Inked tattoo parlour needed help and Lucas agrees, after all what are the chances he will see Jenny again in a city as big as Dallas. Jenny now makes a living grooming dog in a cute little store right next door to So Inked. Lucas and Jenny are reunited with the help of a cute little dog, they finally admit their feelings and the sex is better than they ever imagined. But it's not all sunshine and lollipops, Lucas is still scared Jenny will find out his secret and Jenny is so scared she will lose herself in to the relationship like she did before. Scared of what she was feeling Jenny back away from Lucas. Lucas who has been all in in this relationship he's been nothing but fantastic but Jenny is sending mixed signals and now she's pulling away and Lucas is thinking the worst. But the worst comes in the form of a face from the past and it causes everything to blow up.

Overall, aside from Jenny just rubbing me the wrong way and feeling like I was missing something throughout the whole book, it was nice. The dogs were freaking cute and it was nice with Everly and her new hubby and no one writes sex like Sidney.

ARC REVIEW Alpha Prince by Sidney Bristol

Alpha Prince is the first book in Sidney Bristol's newest series Twisted Royals that came out in February. This is a brilliant twist on Snow White, which I am grateful for I don't see very many of those. I love Ian Kelly every time he spoke I hear a Liam Neeson like voice speaking in my head. Ian is everything Taylor needed but in no way ever expected to find, his Irish, in law enforcement, and every bit the Prince the media painted him; but Taylor doesn't want to be the damsel in distress. Taylor learned the hard way she only had herself to rely on.

Ian couldn't stop thinking about the one who got away, it really was just supposed to be a one night stand but after she just left and it bugged him that she left and he hadn't been able to find her. After all the hype with the media and the dancing princes hubbub Ian was supposed to be laying low, it was just going to be a simple security consult however the suspicious character that hired him as received extortion threats and he wants Ian to stay on for two weeks to figure it out. Ian should say no, Zain will kill him if he doesn't, but.... Taylor is there. Taylor is the one who spirited out after an intense and passionate night together. Ian knows she's hiding something and he wants to help he took the job on pretense to help Taylor. Taylor is on the run from her stepmother, and the mob family she did everything in her power to avoid. Taylor's stepmother is very ambitious and perceives that Taylor is in her way and wants her dead. Taylor wants to go on the run again handle this herself, Ian wants it over he wants to help and after two attempts on her life she is finally ready to accept his help, very reluctantly.

Overall, the Snow White aspects just added to the charm of the book. Seven miniature french bulldog puppies, the evil stepmother, the huntsman, and the apple just perfect. It is an action packed, exciting, and as always super erotic. So hot!

ARC REVIEW The Gamer and the Geek by Sidney Bristol

It's no secret that I love this author. She is diverse and not just because she writes multiracial romance but she is diverse in her writing style from romantic suspense to rom com geeky romance to BDSM erotica but she also varied in those. It's not just the stereotypical geek but all types of geeks. Like this book you can assume by the title (just the title not the blurb) that gamer means video gamer, but you would be wrong in this case Sidney Bristol delves into what she knows and is passionate about herself board games. I know nothing about board games, I kind of suck at them, so this was informative to read about all the boardgame intricacies and the two main styles of them and all the details Sidney went into about the boardgame world; just enough to be interesting but not too much detail that it overwhelms the book. Rashae and Declan are combustible from the sexual tension to their dialogue they are really close to being my favorite couple of the Gone Geek series.

Rashae is finally getting the chance to branch out into the board game world and show off her art in that field. The only roadblock is that the creators know nothing about about the industry and are nitpicking everything the only one who seems to be on her side is the sexy Irish campaign manager Declan. Rashae and Declan are hesitant to start a relationship because they are working with each other but after spending time together and really getting to know each other they both realize they are falling for each other. Rashae is about ready to put her heart on the line when everything they have been working for with the to board game developers blows up and it is going to take quite a bit for Declan to prove to Rashae that he had nothing to do with it.

Overall, this was another great book from Sidney Bristol.    

ARC REVIEW Dangerous Protector by Sidney Bristol

Dangerous Protector is book five in Sidney Bristol's Aegis Group series. This one is tense. I have run out of ways to say how great Sidney Bristol's writing really is, I can not get enough of her romantic suspense. What I love is that it pretty much is nonstop action the slower parts are filled with them getting to know each other and hot steamy sex. Can't go wrong with this series.

Fiona is stuck living inside the box, under the protection of the WPP for something she did when she was young and dumb. One night she decides to take a risk and on the night she does she meets Marco, denim and leather clad hunk with a stoic face. Marco is trying to right a wrong. His family was wronged when a huge corporation bought out his grandparents land right out from underneath them and uses it for toxic dumping. Fiona gets caught between and corporate espionage and Marco's sabotage which leads to the reveal of who she really is and the sociopathic hacker trying to kill her.

Marco is supposed to use Fiona as his in to take down the company, but he realizes once meeting her he can't do it, especially after he sleeps with her. His super secret hacker extraordinaire friend Ghost helps him along the way and also reveals they are not the only ones hacking into the system. This leads to a chain reaction of shit hitting the fan to more bigger piles of shit hitting the fan especially after Fiona finds out Marco's initial intentions. But what Marco did and how he feels for Fiona now he's not going to let anything happen to her no matter what, even when she doesn't trust him.

Once again Sidney's active setting is outstanding. Her first hand experience of the Moab desert really comes out as she describes the beauty and the dangers of the place so well and the action is heart pounding. Overall another winner from the talented Sidney Bristol.  

RC REVIEW The Aegis Group: Dangerous Game and Dangerous Assignment by Sidney Bristol

YAY! Zain! Sidney does geek good. Sidney Bristol once again created a story that captivated and entertained. Her geeky humour and intense story line makes this one of my favorites of the series. The chemistry between Zain and Andrea is almost palpable.

One thing I love about Zain is that he doesn't let the term disabled vet define him. Missing his hand does not get in the way of him being chief intelligence officer. He has made some pretty impressive contacts to the point he running a trial for a special prosthetic that reacts to his nerves and actually gives him a working hand. He doesn't let anything get in his way, he knows what he wants and he goes for it.

Andrea is an amazing woman, her love for videogames and her desire to design strong non-sexualized female character games lead to a large part of the gaming community hating her. Andrea is not used to being the one in the spotlight and having to make an appearance at the comic-con has brought her upfront and in the line of fire. Andrea is stuck in a situation that is out of her control, someone ransacked her hotel room stole her laptop and destroyed her possessions. Lucky she and Zain met right before and Zain's protective instincts kicked in. Zain's high stress job has finally allowed him a vacation, he timed it so he could go to the comic-con. He never expected to met Andrea but almost from the start he knew she needed him. But the juvenile attitudes of the people who didn't like Andrea's game is only the tip of the iceberg something more sinister is going on.

I love the introduction to the characters in her other series, Geeks Gone Wild, and I love what they stand for and how they support each other. Overall, I loved this one especially Zain.

The delicious Luke and the incredible Abigail. This whole book is one giant action scene. International spies, terrorist, people coming back from the dead (not in the paranormal sense) lies deceit and two incredibly strong and stubborn people falling in love. Abigail reminded me of Ziva from NCIS. I love Abigail what I really enjoyed is that in the other three books all three of the women main characters have gotten kidnapped and the guys save them in this one it's Abigail that does the saving, she's probably my favorite female character from the series so far.
I love that Luke stood by her without fail at risk of his career and his life he never wanted to leave her or let her face anything alone, not because he thought she couldn't do it but because she shouldn't have to do it alone. Everyone has failed her in the past and Luke is going to prove to her that he won't.

It was just suppose to be a simple protection duty but one that ended in several people dead a hotel with a big hole in the side of it and Luke and Abigail on the run from terrorism charges and someone from Abigail's past that wants her dead. Abigail doesn't really exist, the person she was died years ago after someone close to her betrayed her and she has spent the entire time seeking vengeance on those who caused it to happen and she was so close to getting the job done when someone blew up the hotel room and exposed her. She didn't want Luke involved, her feelings be damned, but he isn't about to let her go on a suicide mission now that he's finally found her.

Oh what a tangled web we weave, this is a fantastic read all very exciting as always. I do want to say one thing about Ethan... I'm in denial!!!!    

ARC REVIEW The Aegis Series: Dangerous Attraction and Dangerous in Training by Sidney Bristol

Dangerous Attraction The Complete Serial, I'm glad I waited to read the book in it's entirety because I hate cliffhangers and Sidney was genius when she split the book up, I'm just sorry I waited this long to read it. A lot of the serials I've seen are short and not worth my time, Dangerous Attraction, however, each part of the serial is at least novella length and sooo much happens they are almost complete stories by themselves. I've got to give Sidney props for freakin' me out during this book, if I thought Blind was creepy and gritty I was wrong Dangerous Attraction is way more creepy and gritty.

This isn't Travis' first book we first were introduced to him in Blind he is Emma's brother, he's son of the man who watched the BTK serial killer blind, torture, and kill his parents right in front of him. Travis has issues he's a felon and an ex-Navy SEAL currently working for the private security firm Aegis, he's also been working with the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Club trying to track down the serial killer club. Which is what has lead him to Las Vegas.

Bliss is her sister's keeper, Wendy has always been the fragile one. Bliss hoped that when Wendy fell in love and married Grayson she wouldn't be needed as much but then came the baby and it sent Wendy in to post partum depression. Bliss and Wendy arranged some time alone to go Christmas shopping but when Bliss showed and Wendy didn't she got a bad feeling. Still too soon to file a missing person report Bliss still goes to the police what she finds is Travis who overheard Bliss' description of Wendy who fits the victimology of the serial killer he's trying to track down. Bliss confirms Travis' identity and calls Grayson who then hires Travis on the spot. Travis is ready to proceed as normal using the information he got from Bliss but Bliss wants in on it, she wants to help find Wendy. Against his better judgment Travis lets her help.

What happens next is a rollercoaster ride of romance, suspense and intense action. So much happens kidnapping, murder, gunfights, Christmas, falling in love so much more. Travis and Bliss felt an instant attraction to each other but with everything going on it was a hesitant love Travis has a bunch of baggage he has to deal with and catch the serial killer. We also see the BAU team from Blind come in and help things along. Overall, this was a great story it dug it's hooks in deep sucked me in. I loved it.        

Dangerous in Training has us with the newbie Mason Clark and the bosses daughter Hannah Stevens. Human trafficking gets my blood boiling, I despise it but I love fiction about it; where the good guys kick ass and save the day. This was a very intense read it's all very exciting and dirty. Sidney's active setting in this book is fantastic. I love the characters Mason and Hannah.

Mason is convinced that he's not good enough for the bosses daughter not with his past. Hannah was his physical therapist after being dishonorably discharged from the Navy he liked her then and after he got hired on with Aegis he still couldn't act on his feelings because she was the boss' daughter. Hannah's trying not to let her father run roughshod over her life. She wins a couple of tickets to a resort in Mexico a guy she dated a couple of times who let her keep some of her stuff in his shed is trying to get her to take him if she wants her stuff back. Hannah asks for Mason's help to get her stuff Mason with the help of the other guys at Aegis they get her stuff back no trouble. Mason not liking the sound of her traveling alone talks her into taking him. with her to Mexico.

It's a good thing Mason did because the whole thing was a setup, Hannah is a virgin and was pre sold to a very bad man. Hannah and Mason screw up their plans and instead of leaving the country as soon as they found out what happened Hannah won't leave until they find the other two missing girls she befriended the night before. Hannah and Mason are amusing because they have sex but Mason was drugged instead of Hannah and doesn't remember having sex with her. Throughout the book they are trying not to get closer but impossible because they have already fall in love with each other. Mason knows he needs help and calls in backup. Ethan, Travis, Luke and Zain fly in to help especially after Hannah gets caught and the boys have to find way to save her before she gets auctioned off to the highest bidder all under the assumption she's still a virgin, she doesn't correct them because she knows if she does she's as good as dead.

Overall, fantastic book. Great characters and intense story line.  

ARC REVIEW Blind by Sidney Bristol

It's no secret that I love Sidney Bristol, and this is exactly why, her romantic suspense, Blind is very much one of my favorites now. The story is creepy and gritty and scary how realistic it is in a way that this could happen. This book was suspenseful and it was like I was watching a thriller movie. Two people who are connected by horrific circumstances and tortured pasts. Two people brought together and find the connection is more than just the darkness inside them. This book is the start (I really hope she write more) of a something really creepy and exciting, a new series in a Criminal Minds/The Following style.

Years ago Oklahoma City was terrorized by a serial killer named TBK; Torture, Blind, Kill. The year before she was born, Emma Ration's father watched the mad man torture and kill his parents. The killer was caught and died in prison. Emma has spent her free time researching and digging up everything she fond about the serial killer who ruined her father's life. Jacob Payton is the son of the arresting officer and lead investigator of the TBK killer and now he is lead investigator of what looks like a copycat. In hopes of discovering something new Jacob contacts Emma in hopes of looking at what information she has found. Jacob immediately feels a connection to her, it wasn't just her beauty or her tattoos or even her take no shit give no shit attitude it was something deeper. Emma feels the attraction too, even after she learns that he is a cop and why he initially asked for her help she can't help but feel safe with him.

Emma may have just inadvertently attracted the attention of the copycat. He starts targeting people she knows people she has had contact with. The FBI gets called in a specific group of people who specialize in this kind of thing, Jacob welcomes the help he knows by himself he is over his head. But is Emma's connection coincidental or intentional the Behavioral Analysis Unit pin pointed Emma and even brought her in for questioning, but Jacob pulls himself off the case by admitting he is her alibi for the night of one of the murders. Knowing Emma won't accept any other help he plays her personal body guard.  The copycat killer is so much more and is quickly accelerating and starting to act off the script. Emma, Jacob and the BAU dig deep into Emma's past to find out who would be behind these new string of murders targeting her.

Along with Emma and Jacob's story it touches in to the BAU and it's agents. Overall, this is a fantastic and thrilling and creepy read great for late nights when you can't sleep, cause you wont want to sleep during or after reading the book.