ARC REVIEW Too Hard to Handle by Julie Ann Walker

This is one of those time I am mad at myself for not discovering this series earlier. This is book eight in the Black Knights Inc. series and despite the characters meeting in a previous book and this picking up from that a couple months later it is very easy to get sucked to the world of the Black Knights. And just in case you don't know the series what you learn from this book is that BKI is a super secret government organization with the cover story of a motorcycle shop and take their orders directly from the president. There are a lot of guys and some have wives and all of them it got kind of confusing but for the story they aren't important. The important ones there is no confusing them. Dan "The Man" Currington and Penni DuPaul met during an assignment the attraction was instant but circumstances and feelings separated them.

Three months after what Penni started calling "The Assignment" she finally has flown to Chicago to have a much needed talk with Dan. Only when she gets to the Black Knights warehouse Dan is not there. Not thinking anything bad could happen two of the Black Knights, Becky and Ozzie, set it up for Penni to fly to Peru. Dan is in Peru with Dagan Zoelner and CIA agent, Chelsea Duvall, tracking the rogue CIA operative that stole a bunch of information from the government and caused the big clusterfuck that caused the death of several people. The last thing Dan expected to see in the courtyard of a small Peruvian village was Penni. The old saying "absence makes the heart grow fonder" has never been truer than with Penni and Dan. If it wasn't for the fact they they were in the middle of a mission Dan would have taken Penni right then and there. The problems just start piling on with the appearance of a Russian agent looking for the same traitor. Dan, Dagan, Chelsea, Penni and the Russian aren't the only ones looking for the guy they have another killer on their trail who is leaving no loose ends or witness. Action and suspense and so many close encounters Dan and Penni finally get a moment alone together after they capture their guy only to be interrupted... again.

Penni and Dan fell hard but there is still so much they don't know about each other, like the fact that Dan is a recovering alcoholic or the that he is a widower who lost his wife two years ago. Penni has a secret of her own the real reason she left the Secret Service. But can these secrets tear them apart or tie them closer together.

Overall, I am ready for Dagan's story. I need to find the rest of the series, this one was great it was exciting and really hot.

ARC REVIEW The Brigadier's Runaway Bride by Erica Ridley

The Dukes of War book 5, The Brigadier's Runaway Bride was one that I was looking forward to. I have read all the other books in the series and throughout the books I had been hoping that the death of Brigadier General Edmund Blackpool had been greatly exaggerated. I was happy when I found out I was right. I love stories like this two people so in love but have grown and are different from the young person they once were but still stick it out and deal with it and figure out no matter what they will always love each other.

Edmund Blackpool was left for dead on the Waterloo battlefield. He woke up in a Polish convent and his only thought was getting back to Sarah. Eight months ago Sarah was able to sneak away and visit Edmund before he went of to battle in Waterloo. Confessions of love were spoken and an unofficial engagement happened. Edmund has traveled all the way back only to find the one woman he has ever loved standing up about to marry another man, and very pregnant.

Sarah Fairfax thought her love was dead and then she found out she was pregnant with his child. Raised with an unsteady flux of money she was determined not to have that for her baby and even though it felt like a betrayal she agreed to Ravenwoods proposal. When during the ceremony Edmund shows up and claims his bride. Sarah is relieved and scared at the same time. She is relieved that Edmund is alive and still wants to marry her, but she is scared that he is only marrying her because she is pregnant and everything afterward. Edmund feels betrayed, by his friends for not coming back for him and because Sarah didn't wait. He doesn't blame the he understands it but it still hurts. He is now afraid of not being a good father and a good husband, he is scared that Sarah no longer loves the man he has become. Sarah and Edmund have a hard time being parents not knowing what they are doing. Love conquers all, especially when there is trust and communication to go with it.

Overall, it was short, and kinda sweet. A little rushed but enjoyable none the less. I really look forward to Ravenwoods story I think he really needs his HEA.

ARC REVIEW Wicked Wild Fantasies by Shiloh Walker

Previously published as HER WILDEST DREAMS. This title has been extensively rewritten and revised. New material has been added and it has been re-edited.

This was a great one; sweet in a romantic way, and steamy hot, hot, hot. Best friends/little sisters is one of my favorite tropes. Shiloh Walker is fantastic when it comes to seduction with a touch of dark. I always like the style of Shiloh Walker's narrative she writes engaging characters and panty dropping Alpha's and always an engaging story with a hint of dark. I can only imagine how this story went before the rewrites. 

Alison Ryan never really thought about what she was missing in her life until it flashed before her eyes, when a druggie tried to mug her. She was saved by her brother's best friend Detective Alex O'Malley. Alex always knew is best friends little sister had a crush on him but when he saw her being threatened by a druggie with a knife his perception of her changed, almost as if he was really seeing her for the first time. Alison was raised by a cop and raised to never cry but Alex knew that what she needed and that his shoulder was the one she would cry one. After having the scare of her life Alison fell asleep in Alex's arms when she woke up he was still asleep but playing with her. The only thing she ever wanted was for Alex to make love to her so she took the chance and didn't wake him. He he finally did wake up he couldn't, didn't want to stop. After he felt guilty and blamed himself for what happened. It was almost too much for her to bear; she was just as much to blame than Alex but it hurt her deep inside to have him apologize for what happened. The final straw was when Alison's co workers once again tried to take advantage of her good nature, that is when it hits her that she needed a change and with the help of a good friend that exactly what she does.

A makeover, finishing school, getting her RN license, ten days in Ireland, a lover, and a couple months away from Alex was all Alison needed. She flourished, she blossomed into the beautiful woman that was hiding underneath her own insecurities. Alex hasn't been able to shake this new feeling he has in regards to Alison, he can't stop thinking about her when he is awake and he dreams about her at night. When he finally sees her he doesn't recognize her, and when he realizes it's her he can't stop himself from loving her. Alex's sexual appetite leans heavily on the dominant side and is at first hesitant that it might scare Alison away, until she admits to him she has always wanted him in that way and that she isn't scared by it but turned on. Alex isn't going to have an easy time because convincing Alison he loves her for her isn't enough he has to convince his best friend/ her brother.

Overall, ooohh this book is good. It's hot, almost guaranteed to make you horny.   

ARC REVIEW Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho

A wonderfully unique book from Zen Cho, Sorcerer to the Crown is the first book from the Sorcerer Royal series. I loved this alternative world where magic leaks from the adjacent Fae world and is fully accessible to certain people to use. Of course it's taboo for a woman to use magic because the whole Dark Ages period was blamed on women. Now women are forced to suppress their powers. The magic energy flow in the atmosphere above England has been dwindling down to the point where it's almost all gone. The premise of this book is fascinating at times it seems like just a fantasy story but then it switches gears and starts to play out like a classic romance and then switches back to fantasy. The romance is there hiding in the background you see it, it is subtly worded the attraction between them but it's not the main focus of the story.

Zacharias Wythe was born a slave, but as a baby was noticed by an important British man and bought. Sir Stephen saw something in the little baby, he knew with the right training he could have a very powerful sorcerer and prove the stogie society that a "man of color" can be just as powerful as any other man. Zacharias as much as he loved his adoptive parents still resented them slightly for making him a charity case. After the death of Sir Stephen, Zacharias still step up to the position of Sorcerer Royal just like Sir Stephen had been training him and expected him to do. Zacharias despite the insults, and the insinuations that he himself murdered Sir Stephen, makes a good level headed Sorcerer Royal. He is able to look at the bigger picture and knows even the littlest involvement can change everything. He has been concentrating on the lack of magic in the air and has been trying to find a way to fix it, he just has to survive all the assassination attempts.

Prunella Gentleman is an orphan her father left her under the care of a local widow, Mrs. Daubeney, who in turned used her knowledge of raising Prunella to open a school for gentlewitches. Prunella has no idea who her mother is she just knows she is treated as a second class citizen because it is obvious her mother was an "exotic" and the maternal nature of the widow decreases the older and darker Prunella's skin became. Prunella has a great degree of magical ability and that another reason for discord, Mrs Daubeney firmly believes a woman doesn't have the fortitude for handling magic. Cleaning out the attics Prunella finds some items that belonged to her father and now knows she has something great in her possession. Prunella appeals to Zacharias, after a visit to the school, about wanting to learn how to be a sorcerer. Her real reason is just to get to London her dream is to have a season and find a husband. After seeing her in action Zacharias knows there is greatness in her and plans on using her an example for the new reform for Society.

The plot thickens when it becomes known that a group of men plans to overthrow Zacharias and do so the old fashion way, the outlawed way. Things get even more complicated when a small island seeks help from the Sorcerer Royal against a groups of witches who are threatening the island. The head witch herself travels to England. The heredity of Prunella is revealed and her powers are unprecedented.  Amazingly it all fits together, there is a line that comes to mind when reading this and trying to find a way to describe it without really giving anything away; "What a tangled web we weave when we practice to deceive". I find that very accurate.

Overall this book was fascinating, and I look forward to the next.

 

ARC REVIEW Ever After by Odessa Gillespie Black

Ever After is the first book in the Cursed Series by Odessa Gillespie Black. A curse that spans across time, a vengeful ghost and star crossed reincarnated souls
So I really don't know what to think about this book. It was a really interesting story. I really liked and empathized with Allie but Cole got on my nerves.
It was beautifully written and creepy in all the right spots. It gives you just enough hints throughout the book that you can piece together what's really happening. It draws it out to a "big" reveal at the end. *Sigh* the end was a little disappointing no real conclusion, it ended, it concluded but to me it didn't feel satisfactory. Thats all I'll say about the end I don't want to spoil it. Everything that happens either is a wonderful sexual tension or freaking you out in one manner or another. Looking up this book on Goodreads and Amazon there isn't a description (as of now).

The description on the inside of the book reads...

In order to fully inherit a millionaire's fortune, Allie Knowles must survive a month on her property—easier said than done when the enormous house is haunted by a violent ghost who claims to know Allie. But the true mystery lies with Cole Kinsley, the handsome groundskeeper. Cole and Allie have never met, though he's been driving her wild in her dreams for years. Yet now, every effort to get closer to him pushes him further away… 

 Cole has only ever loved one soul and that love has endured for centuries. Now that soul rests within Allie's body and it takes everything in his power not to confess the truth. For her presence has put them both in mortal danger. Racing against the clock, Allie will have to break the ghost's curse—or history will be doomed to repeat itself.

Allie is the heir to a complete stranger, she thinks it's all a big misunderstanding. The employees of the mansion she finds herself living in are distant not sure what her plans are they are scared for their future, all except Thomas, the head groundskeeper,who seems to be the only one to welcome her with open arms, he also seems like the only person who knows why she is there. It becomes quite obvious that their is something wrong with the house almost hours after being there Allie is injured, rescued by the rude and sexy Cole, nephew to Thomas. Cole confuses Allie with his hot and cold attitude and it upsets her because it is not stopping her from falling in love with him.

Between the strange happenings in the house and the horrifying dreams Allie has been having since moving in has lead Allie on the mission to find out the truth behind the it's mystery. Aided by two sisters,  psychic twins, who know the truth behind it all but promised the late mistress of the house only to reveal certain things at certain times. The twins believe Allie is the one who will finally break the curse. Cole is another mystery Allie is wanting to solve but the truth of his nature and the history of the house may be too much for one girl to handle.

Overall, I liked it, I loved the progression of the story. The twins got annoying every now and then. But the ending just left me unfulfilled.    

ARC REVIEW Last Chance Cowboys: The Drifter by Anna Schmidt

Anna Schmidt bring us the first book in the series Where the Trails Ends. The Drifter is a  Historical Western Romance, this is a genre I love but rarely find myself reading, much like steampunk. I grabbed this because of it's genre and the description, I almost didn't because Anna Schmidt other books are not usually books I read, but the description really did catch my attention. I am glad I did because it was really good. I would put it up there in my favorites along with Joan Johnston's  Sisters of the Lonestar State series. Anna Schmidt has a beautiful narrative and great characters. The descriptive setting was something else, it really pulled me in and set the scene remarkable well. It takes place at a time where ranchers weren't governed as well as they should have been and the larger ones were swallowing up all the smaller ranches and when they couldn't buy their way they would use any means necessary to obtain the land. It reminded me at certain points of the T.V. movie The Jack Bull, originally a novel written by Heinrich von Kleist. So it's no wonder that I kept imagining a buff John Cusack as Chet.

Maria Potterfield lost her father, her brother ran off with the inheritance and her mother has not been handling the death very well at all. Maria is left with running the ranch, and taking care of her two younger siblings and her mother. Knowing the ins and outs of handling the ranch and it's cattle is easy it's convincing the high handed foreman she knows what she's doing that's the hard part. When he gives her the ultimatum that he'll just quit she doesn't give in and tells him to leave, the very same day a drifter breezes in and asks for a job. That night the herd gets spooked and stampedes, the drifter stays out until every last one is found. Spurring Maria to offer him the foreman job which he turns down.

Chet is running from his past on his way to his dreams of owning his own land in California the stop at the little Arizona ranch was just supposed to be temporary, but the beautiful owner, Maria is just tempting enough to stay. Maria is having more problems than just missing herd and no water, the large rancher next door keeps offering to buy but she say no every time. With problems piling on top of each other and finding out her father's death might not be an accident and the only person she can trust is Chet. But the jealous foreman who thinks he is more important than he really is. Chet and Maria fight an instant attraction and try to stay away the appearance of Chet's past almost derails the romance but when they finally give in to the instant attraction they can't let anyone know. They must keep it a secret until they track down the traitor in the mists.

Overall, this is a book I plan to buy and keep. I look forward to the rest of the series.        

ARC REVIEW The Prince and I by Karen Hawkins

The Princes of Oxenburg book two by Karen Hawkins, The Prince and I, is a funny role reversal on the classic Robin Hood tale. I was hesitant to read this book because it is book two but it sounded too good to pass up and I'm glad I didn't. Murian is a headstrong and loyal woman, Max is tortured warrior Prince, and the comic relief is in the form of a stubborn old woman, Grand Duchess Natasha Nikolaevna and self acclaimed Queen of the Gypsy and Max's grandmother. The story is inventive and romantic. I love Karen Hawkins, she's a great writer and following her facebook page is quite amusing.

Lady Murian is a young widow who is seeking the revenge for the murder of her husband, Lord Robert, against the man, The Earl of Loudan, who supposedly won the estate of Rowallen Castle on the gaming table then later killed Robert in a "duel". Exiled with the rest of the castles retainers Murian has taken up the subterfuge of a highwayman to keep knocking Loudan down a peg, and to be used as a distraction when Murian has to search the castle for proof that Loudan gained the estate through fowl play.

General of the Grand Army of Oxenburg, Prince Gregori Maksim Alexsandr Romanovin is traveling with his Tate Natasha to a house party in the wild Highlands of Scotland. Why she agreed to this is baffling but Max has his own reasons for escorting her. On the way there they are stopped and asked to donate goods to the their cause. Max knows almost immediately that the leader of this band of bandits is a woman. She stays in his mind not because she had the nerve to rob him it's because she almost bested him in a swordfight. Max is able to track her down when found he finds out her story and sides with her. He uses his own men to help repair the houses in preparation for winter. Murian has to continually sneak back into the castle to find a dairy Lord Robert always wrote in and she knows that if she can find it then she can prove Loudan is a scoundrel. Max finally finds out why Tate Natasha accepted the invite because Loudan pushed Tate into gamboling something that she had no right to betting and lost it and is now taunting her with maybe buying it back. The more Max learns about Loudan the more suspicious he becomes about the about Loudan and the real reason Max is there.

The attraction between Max and Murian is pretty much instantaneous and they both agree to an affair but with Murian devotion to her people and Max being a soldier and not wanting to subject Murian to that life as a soldiers wife they are hesitant to commit to anything else. But Tate is more cunning than she lets on and knows just the thing to save all.

Overall, I really enjoyed the story, I love the role reversal of the story. and the supporting characters really make the story.