ARC REVIEW The Whole Package by Marie Harte

Veteran Movers #1, It may also be known as Vets on the Go! or Movin' On. There are two different covers and on the mass market paperback cover the series name is Movin' On, they are the same. It's new series from the talented Marie Harte about  two brothers and their cousin who started up a moving company that only hires veterans. Reid the brains, Cash the braun, and Evan the money, okay so not entirely accurate all three Marines and very muscular, Cash is just the biggest of the three. When Cash ends up on the new for stopping a robbery and saving a kids life business booms. Enter Naomi Starr, marketing and public relations extraordinaire.

Instant sparks fly between Naomi and Reid. Naomi is reluctant to get involved with a client after the debacle of her last relationship with her boss. Naomi takes some convincing not just from Reid but also her best friend. Most of the emotional conflict comes from Reid, not that he isn't 100% into the relationship with Naomi but family issues arise as well as issues with one of the new employees. Naomi deals with some stuff too, with her business just getting off the ground and dealing with her ex and then her family comes to visit.  This book, like with some of her other books, also kind of kicks starts Cash's story; the third person POV switches from Reid and Naomi to Cash and digs in deep with him.

Overall, it was a good read. There was very little external conflict most of the book was establishing the characters and their relationships with each other and dealing with their baggage and some pretty steamy scenes between Naomi and Reid.     

ARC REVIEW Unmarriageable by Soniah Kamal

Retelling of the classic Pride and Prejudice that takes place in modern day Pakistan. I really enjoyed this is a beautiful blend of Austin's story and a modern Pakistani family that fell from luxury and money to almost nothing. The lives of the Bennet and the Binat family run pretty much parallel with each other. I especially loved that Alys (Lizzy) loved Austin and would talk about her all the time. Alys and Jena (Jane) are English Lit. teachers at the local girls school, The British School of Dilipabad, and both looked down on because they haven't married yet. Mari, Qitty and Lady (Lydia) are pretty similar to their counterparts, Mari strict and overly religious, Qitty struggles with her weight and the constant reminder from everyone about how she would be prettier if she lost weight, and then there is Lady selfish, spoiled, crass, and wild. Mr and Mrs Binat aren't far off from the originals either.

Dealing with the social injustices the Binat's deal with aren't that different from the ones the Bennet's faced and Alys' feminist views and opinions are quite a bit more harsh than Lizzy's and I completely understand why Alys needed to be a bit more jaded than Lizzy. Kamal writes a more indepth family background for the Binat's but it also gives fuel to the fire when Wickaam feeds Alys his lies about Darsee. Mmmm Valentine Darsee, not only did he uphold the Darsy imagery as prideful, sexy, a good friend and brother he proved to be very intelligent and forward thinking. Alys and Darsee are able to talk about literature and a multitude of other topics even when Alys didn't like him she found he was easy to talk to.     

Overall, I really did love how this one played out and what Kamal did to the story to make it her own. It definitely shows that Jane Austen's works can be adapted to fit different cultures because of how relatable the characters and situations are. I enjoyed reading it because the similarities and the differences between the original and this one and I loved learning new things about a culture I knew nothing about before. It was easy to picture the beautiful Binat sisters in my mind and hear their voices in my head, which they all had British accents because apparently that's the default setting for accents in my brain. It was an excellent retelling of a classic story through the eyes of a different culture.   

ARC REVIEW The Military Wife by Laura Trentham

A Heart of a Hero #1, Laura Trentham is wonderful when it comes to small town romance, with this new series it's  more Women's Fiction with a romance. What I loved about this book was the alternating of past and present it was a nice touch you get to see all the best and the worst memories Harper and Bennett had with Noah at the same time you get to see Harper and Bennett fall in love and Harper finally finds what she was meant to do with her life. Told in the third person but switches perspective between Harper and Bennett.

We also meet Allison and Darren. Darren is an officer and Allison is his wife, mother of three, and Harper's best friend. Darren is feeling the effects of PTSD but too ashamed to admit he needs help doesn't feel like he deserves the help. Harper can tell Allison needs someone to really talk to and goes to visit her on that visit she attends one of the group meetings for the wives and hears the same stuff she heard when she was in their shoes so she comes up with a plan to help out military wives who feel like they need to do more than just fill the time. Harper has the start up money she was given a large sum when Noah died. But when Allison tells her one of the guys on the team gave her that money and not the NAVY Harper tracks down Bennett Caldwell to return the money.

Bennett meet Noah in BUDs and they formed a fast friendship, they became brother's in every way except blood. When Noah found out Harper was pregnant he had Bennett promise him if anything should happen he would take care of Harper and the baby. The entire friendship Bennett avoided meeting Harper, through all the emails and letter that Noah shared Bennett had fallen in love with her. He left the SEALs after Noah died and thought that giving Harper all that money would be enough to take care of the baby and herself. He never expected to see her again after handing over the money but here she is five years later trying to give it back.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was such an emotional journey not just for Harper and Bennett but for Allison and Darren too. This book made me cry and laugh and cry. This was a wonderful second chance romance and a wonderful story of a woman helping other women and finally getting on with her life and moving on. A lot of lessons in this too, like learning how to accept help and learning to let go of guilt.

ARC REVIEW Watcher in the Woods by Kelley Armstrong

 Rockton #4, First off it is wise to read this series in order, this book picks up almost right after the end of the last book and that ended in a way that was teasing about what would happen next. Rockton is a quiet little town in the middle of the frozen Yukon where people go to disappear, if they have enough money. It's a town straight out of the wild frontier days no T.V., no phones, no internet, and regulated electricity. Where there is no money people work on a credit basis, if you help out and do work duty you get credit to buy splurges, and if you don't work you don't eat. Because of the location there are plenty of rules to follow that are in place to keep you alive, break them at your own peril.

Casey and Eric make a quick trip to Vancouver to ask for her sister's help. One of the residents was shot in the back and the placement of the bullet is to close to the spin for either their medic or butcher to attempt. April is a neurosurgeon but she's genius and a brilliant surgeon. Reluctantly April agrees. On the homebound journey though they are followed and before they know it April isn't the only stranger in Rockton. U.S. Marshal Garcia claims he's there for a certain person who is probably more dangerous than they think. But the dickwad doesn't tell them anything and ends up getting shot before Casey and Eric find out who he is there for.

With just about everyone in town having a reason for being there and more than half of them lying about why, Casey has a hard time tracking down the truth and in the process she learns more about supposed friends and their newest resident. Armstrong once again left threads dangling parts of the story that weren't concluded in this book and left it open for the next.

Overall, another outstanding Rockton book. I love Casey and Eric they are so real to me. The whole book just weaves it's magic and transports you there it keeps you on the edge of your seat and if I had my way I would have ignored the world until the book was finished. Told in first person through Casey's perspective which help adds to the mystery of the story.

ARC REVIEW Illegally Yours by Kate Meader

 Laws of Attraction #2, Another good read from Kate Meader. The mischievous Brit, Lucas Wright, meets his match with whiskey sommelier, Trinity Jones. (I love that she was named for Trinity from The Matrix, my daughter was almost Trinity for the same reason) Told in the alternating first person POV you get an interesting look at both their worlds as they collide.

Lust at first sight and Lucas' smart mouth doesn't help matters in showing off although she seems immune to his charm. Trinity is use to his type but is impressed when he actually sticks around afterwards to apologize for his behaviour. Trinity should know better but she actually likes the guy, even after she finds out he's representing her horrible brother-in-law she keeps running into him and he keeps proving he's a better man than she thinks. For one he coaches her nephew's soccer team, he's more than willing to step up and help out when she gets sick and when the chips are down he's willing to do the right thing. But unfortunately the biggest obstacle isn't the fact that he's her brother-in-law's lawyer.

Both Trinity and Lucas have baggage they need to deal with, Trinity is way over protective of her sister always putting her sister first even it if meant hurting herself. Lucas has a past he doesn't talk about, the people closest to him know of his twin sister and her situation but he doesn't talk about his mom or his childhood. Trinity is one of the few who know the guilt he carries. The chemistry between the two of them is undeniable and strong. As much as they tried to keep it under control and not cross the ethical line Lucas received some sage advice from a friend that had him throw caution to the wind. Their relationship is pretty steamy and Lucas is capable of doing some pretty sweet gestures.

Overall, it was a good read. It caught me off guard the age difference but Lucas, when he's not being a jokester, is very mature for his age and is far more intelligent for his year. This was a nice heartfelt romance with plenty of humor to keep it from being to somber. Can't wait for the next one.   

ARC REVIEW Crazy Stupid Love by Amanda Heger

 Let's Get Mythical #1, I was real excited to read this. With RT Books Review calling it "Percy Jackson for Romance Fans." I was expecting a slightly more Urban Fantasy-esk/Rom-Com rather than just a Rom-Com with Mythological tendencies. It was a nice read, the first half was a slow build up of the story, establishing characters, backstories, and setting up of the conflict. It also set up the romantic connection between Eliza and Jake.

Eliza and Jake have known each other since they were kids but as soon as they hit puberty they became aware of each other in terms of boy and girl. Eliza out of fear of rejection distanced herself from Jake and Jake not knowing what else to do let it happen. They went their separate ways until now. Eliza has always been a klutz, that wouldn't be a big deal if she wasn't a Descendant of Eros, as a cupid any minor injury she inflicts on someone causes a love charm. She gave up on being a good cupid early one especially when she failed spectacularly when trying to get her cupid license. But her father just had another major heart attack and her mother has been suspended and her brother has a conference he has to go to. That leaves Eliza to pick up the slack that means getting her provisional license and that means she needs a mentor, that's where Jake comes in.

Jake has always loved Eliza, his time in the Cupid Corp gave him time away from her to get his head on straight but as soon as he got back it was like he never went away. If only she hadn't accidentally hit him with an enchantment now Eliza is confused that Jake is only acting this way because of it or if he really likes her. If falling in love with your mentor isn't troubling enough Eliza's enchantments start to backfire and pretty soon it's not just her license on the line it's her parents reputation and worse case scenario all of mythical-kind.

Overall, it had a much better finish than a start. Things started to pick up at the halfway point it has a really good climatic finish and a fun epilogue. I am curious about where she's going to go with the next book, she put in lots of fun mythological creatures to pick from. (it will probably be Eliza's twin brother, Elijah)   

ARC REVIEW The Wrong Highlander by Lynsay Sands

Highland Brides #7, Lynsay Sands is a great author in whatever she writes and her books are fun to read; at one point the Buchanan brothers were standing around joking that the same stuff keeps happening to them that it's always money or madness that goes after them. Her women are strong willed and in this case with Evina MacLean, who has lead the family and the clan ever since her mother died and her father distanced himself from everything and even trains the younger soldiers, she's more than just emotionally strong. She's not afraid to take charge and get what needs to be done done. So when her father falls ill and nothing is working she seeks out the healer Rory Buchanan.

Conran Buchanan is the middle child and he has always been there for his brothers and sister when they need him, he is a jack of all trade but master of none. After a long day of collecting herbs for Rory one day he takes the time to wash away the day in a nearby waterfall when he's attacked and knocked unconscious. When he wakes up he's still naked and on MacLean land they are also calling him Rory, to save his brother from the same fate he plays along good thing he knows just enough to help the Laird MacLean.

Maclean as soon as he's better manipulates a situation in which Conran is caught compromising Evi. Sadly, Evi is shot with an arrow and his plan doesn't go as smoothly as he wanted. Conran's brother show up and the truth comes out and while everyone around is pushing for their marriage Conran is willing to go through the wedding because he genuinely like Evi he'll only go through it if that's what she wants too. So he has a couple of weeks before all his brothers arrive to woo Evi. Unfortunately the arrow to Evi's chest isn't the only attempt on her life and the Buchanans go on high alert to protect Evi and try and capture the culprit.

Overall, this was a fun and exciting read from a master at her trade. Her historicals and her paranormals always exceed my expectations. The characters are all loveable and easy to sympathize with. She creates situations that are humorous and intense with a great narrative and a picturesque setting.