CONTEST and Review of THE DANGER THAT IS DAMION by Lisa Renee Jones

LOVE this cover!!!!

Zodius #3

Military-style Suspense/Paranormal

Sourcebooks Casablanca

The Renegades are back!

While on stake-out, Damion observes the sexy Lara, who is much too interested in the scientist under his protection. When a chase ensues, Damion captures her, hoping to discover what Adam Rain is up to now. He soon learns that Adam isn't behind Lara's training. But will the Renegades be surprised when they obtain the name of her “creator”?

Lara has a long road to follow before she can allow herself to trust Damion and the other Renegades. Nothing is making sense. First she needs to discover what is going on with her memories. It seems that someone has tampered with her mind, and the consequences could kill her. But can she trust the Renegades' to help her?

*****

THE DANGER THAT IS DAMION is my favorite Zodius book so far.  It's a fast-paced, action packed, thrill ride from the time you crack the cover open, right up to the turn of the last page! There is also plenty of hot romance stirred into the mix as Lara and Damion fight not only their enemies, but also their growing attraction.

Lisa Renee Jones has added new layers to her Zodius series, keeping it fresh without adding too many new players into the mix. Adam Rain and his Zodius soldiers aren't the main enemies this time around, but I wasn't surprised to see who was.

It took me a while to warm up to Lara, but as the story progressed and I began to understand her motives, that changed and I soon found myself liking her and her spirited attitude. Damion on the other hand is easy to love. He is determined to save the world from the Zodius, and soon you see his focus change to saving Lara, while saving the world. And he is just so dang sexy!

I also loved seeing the people I've met in the previous Zodius books. It was good to see Michael and Sterling - and their lifebonds, of course. :) I really liked seeing Caleb Rain, Dr. Kelly Peterson, and Dorian again. I can't wait to see how their lives are going to play out in the future books. I'm especially looking forward to discovering if Dorian is going to side with his Uncle Caleb or his father Adam.  I think Chale is up next, I can't wait to see what Lisa has in store for him.

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Contest Information

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Anyone who comments on today's blog will be entered for a chance to win an ebook of either The Legend of Michael (book 1) or The Storm that is Sterling (book 2).  

AND

If you comment on and follow all of the blogs in this blog tour, you will be entered to win a $20 Amazon gift card!

Winners will be announced on March 21.

Good Luck!

Review: HOT & HEAVY by Sandra Hill

I think the old cover is HOTTER than the new. :-)

Viking II Time-travel– VIKINGS in the modern world!
Avon

Since the disappearance of Madrene Olgadottir's family, she has had to fend for herself. She was doing a pretty good job of it too, until a neighboring enemy captured her and sold her into a harem. As she is trying to escape a harem, things really start to get interesting, unbeknownst to her, she is thrown ten centuries into the future.

Lt. Ian MacLean mistakes Madrene for his enemy's mistress, but when that is quickly corrected, he finds he cannot so easily detach himself from the quirky, quarrelsome woman. And soon discovers that he just might not want to.

*****

Hot & Heavy is peppered with Sandra Hill's signature humor. She has the knack of making the corniest phrases funny and she keeps the story hot. I loved how she had Maddie interpreting her experiences and the everyday objects, that were so new to her. 
 

New cover...not as sexy.

I really enjoyed Ian and Maddie's story, as they both had so much to learn from each other. They each had to face culture shocks, obvious for Maddie, who had just jumped across the lines of time, and Ian had to acclimate himself to living with her. I enjoyed their sexual tension and the way they steamed the pages up when they finally caved to their wants. 
 
It was great when Maddie found out that her family had also time-traveled, and she was able to reunite with them. And I loved revisiting with old friends. As always, I'm looking forward to what ever Sandra Hill has coming next...which I hear is going to be a mix of Viking Vampire Angels—in the modern times. Hmmm, it's definitely and original combination, I can't wait to see what she does with it.

Review: IF YOU KNOW HER by Shiloh Walker

Ash trilogy #3
Suspense
Ballentine

A killer is still on the loose, but nobody knows it. The wrong man was pinned for the brutal death of Jolene Hollister, an evil man for sure, but not Joely's killer.

It's been six months since Nia Hollister's cousin was brutally murdered. A murder was brought to justice, but she can't find the closure she needs.

Law Reilly can't shake Nia from his mind. He knows that she has some serious issues dealing with the death of her cousin, and they still need to find the murderer.

Can they find the killer before he finds another victim?

*****

OMG... I finally know WHO DID IT!!!!! Shiloh Walker reeled this reader in and keep her attention for THREE whole books to find out who Jolene's killer really was. I had my suspicions but never nailed him down until this book. Of course there was lots of action, romance, and thrills to get to this point.


I really enjoyed Nia and Law's road to their Happily Ever After. They would butt heads, but Law could bring her down and around (usually). I loved their hunt for the killer. Law had to convince Nia that she couldn't just go off half-cocked following the trail of the murderer, though that was no easy task. Their fiery chemistry kept the pages steaming.

I met a lot of great characters that I'm in no way ready to let go of. Lena and Ezra tied the knot and Hope and Remy were moving forward in their relationship, it was so nice to see their progressions since the last book. There is one police officer, who was being extra friendly with a local waitress that I would love to see a book about. *wink wink nudge nudge*


I'm already anticipating Ms. Walker's next book as she so rarely disappoints me.

Review: IF YOU SEE HER by Shiloh Walker

Ash Trilogy #2

Romantic Suspense

Ballantine Books

IF YOU SEE HER picks up right where IF YOU HEAR HER left off, with Hope in the hospital accused of beating her best friend, Law, nearly to death with a baseball bat, and then attempting to kill herself. No one believes she is innocent.

Remy Jennings knows the situation doesn't feel right, but the evidence points to Hope's guilt. As he digs deeper into her past, he discovers this isn't her first brush with violence. But when he talks with her ex-husband, more questions are raised. Is she the mentally unstable woman he claims she is?

How can Hope prove she is a victim and not the perpetrator? 

 

*****

If You See Her was an exciting continuation of Shiloh Walker's Ash trilogy. We still don't know who the killer is for If You Hear Her, but our suspects are adding up. Though in If You See Her the focus is mostly on Hope and who is terrorizing her. 

Hope is a very private person, with good reason. Her ex-husband abused her, but because of his position in society, many turned a blind eye, and chose not to believe her. She took drastic measures to finally escape her marriage. But, it seems he's not done with her yet.

Now we have not one bad guy, but TWO. There is the obvious possessive anger from Hope's ex-husband, Joe. But there is also the more subtle yearnings of the killer we were introduced to in If You Hear Her.

I enjoyed Remy and Hope's new found relationship and their chemistry was fantastic. Hope was struggling to find her independence and I loved how Remy supported her, even when all he wanted to do was shelter her and protect her. 

I loved all of the interactions between Ezra, Lena, and Law, who we met in If You Hear Her. The continued mystery who the real killer is frustrating, in a good way, because by the end of If You See her I was still wondering WHO he was. I had ideas, but still didn't know.

Review of THE DEPARTED by Shiloh Walker

FBI Psychics #2
Suspense/Paranormal (psychic...can talk to ghosts)
Berkley

When a ghost leads Desiree “Dez” Lincoln to French Lick, IN, the last person she expects to run into is her former boss (and lover), FBI Agent, Taylor Jones, who is just as surprised to see her. Having had a rather bad falling out, neither was prepared to run into the other, but there are much more important things to worry about than past disagreements.

As they unravel one plot, another mystery cries out to be solved. This one is much more personal. One that nearly broke Taylor as a teenager. One he has never healed from.

Can Dez discover who caused such pain and heal Taylor's heart in the process?

*****

While I really enjoyed THE DEPARTED, there was just one thing that hampered me from loving this book...but I'll get to that. 

I loved Dez and Taylor. Dez wore her emotions more openly, while Taylor hid behind a cold veneer. It wasn't until Dez was gravely injured that Taylor started to acknowledge his feelings, but even then he was quick to revert back into his icy demeanor. He wasn't an easy man to understand until his past started to unravel. Dez was easier to read. I loved their chemistry and watching Taylor's emotions melt.

It was no big secret who the culprits were of the crime that brought Dez to French Lick. The question was how were they going to catch them, and prove what they had plotted. The real mystery, was what had happened to Taylor's little sister back when they were kids. Where did she go? Who took her? Nothing was ever found, but now a small ghostly voice started asking Dez to “Find Me.”As this little girl started to haunt Dez, she knew that she wouldn't find any peace until she discovered the girl's identity and what transpired the day she went missing. This was really gut wrenching, seeing Taylor relive the day his sister disappeared, and how he's tried to make up for never finding her by joining the FBI and being the best special agent he could be.

I really liked this book, and am looking forward to the next installment of the series...heck I look forward to EVERYTHING Shiloh Walker writes.

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One thing really bothered me...and I blame this on bad editing. It was mentioned that there were six teenage boys originally involved in the kidnapping of the girl in the beginning of the story, Tristan, who was murdered for his reluctance to be involved—his ghost led Dez to French Lick. Then there was Mark, Beau, and Brandon, who were dealt with (quite well) in the story. BUT, here's were it gets a bit hairy, Kyle was mentioned as being cold and calculating, yet he just seemed to fall off the face of the Earth, and there was no punishment nor consequences for his actions. On page 177 Keith Sutter and Lee Gragon were mentioned as being not “as intristic to the group”. Now I thought that maybe Keith and Kyle were one and the same and this was just an “oopsie” not caught, but I felt that it was very inconsistent that Beau, Mark & Brandon were dealt with, but not Kyle (Keith?), who we KNEW played a part in the attempt of murder.

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Review: RAINSHADOW ROAD by Lisa Kleypas

Friday Harbor #2
Contemporary w/a hint of magic
St. Martins Press

Being blindsided by a breakup is bad enough, but to find out that your boyfriend left you for your sister is beyond brutal. 

When Lucy Marrin finds herself suddenly homeless so that her sister can move in with her boyfriend, she is at first flummoxed, but then she gets angry. How typical of her sister to take what is Lucy's. This is not the first time Alice has taken something of hers. 

 

Lucy's ex-boyfriend, Kevin, asks confirmed bachelor, Sam Nolan to take her out on a few dates so that her parents will get off of his and Alice's back. Sam is intrigued by the lovely Lucy, but he draws the line at being coerced into dating anyone. 

 

Circumstances throw Lucy and Sam together in an unimaginable position. A situation where they suddenly have the chance to really get to know one another; causing them to question their stands on life, and leaving them with some difficult decisions to make for their futures.

*****

RAINSHADOW ROAD is a wonderfully heartwarming tale that captivated me from the first turn of the page until the very end. This is a story that will touch your spirit, making you want to believe in magic and the tenderness of love. It's the perfect book to read when you have had enough of the realities of life and need a little escapism. 

I found it extremely difficult to put this book down, as Lisa Kleypas wrote such bewitching characters in a town that I wanted to continue to explore as I enjoyed meeting Lucy, Sam and all of their family and friends. She created such full-bodied characters, that I almost forgot that this is a fictional place I was visiting. 

I  loved the range of emotions Ms. Kleypas took me on. There were a few sniffle parts, some angry moments, but what I really enjoyed was the humor that was injected throughout the book, as I found myself smiling and even laughing out loud. This was a very well-rounded book.

Lucy and Sam both had a lot of baggage they were carrying around. It was very difficult for them not to be cynical about life, because of the crappy hands that had dealt to both of them. Despite all of the turmoil thrown their way, they still managed to live good lives, they just needed to learn how to trust someone else with their feelings. 

To say Sam was phobic about commitment was a mild understatement, he avoided any sort of an attachment, and he wasn't about to break any of his unwritten rules for Lucy. Lucy had her own reasons (other than the crap Kevin dealt her) that made her leery of relationships. I loved the journey Ms. Kleypas took us on, watching Lucy and Sam overcome their family and emotional issues as they fell in love with each other. Theirs wasn't a simple jaunt to happily ever after as they had many obstacles to with conquer with all the twists and turns Ms. Kleypas spun into the story. 

I loved the bits of Lucy's stained glass art and Sam's vineyard that were brought into the story, helping to showcase the magic they each possessed, and it helped to define their characters. I was thrilled with the unexpected direction the ending went, it was perfect for Lucy and Sam, but I for a moment of reading I feared that she wasn't going to take that path--fortunately I'm not a good guesser.

I had previously met Sam's niece, Holly, his brothers' Mark and Alex, and Mark's fiancee Maggie in CHRISTMAS EVE AT FRIDAY HARBOR, I was happy to see how Mark and Maggie's relationship had grown, and how Holly was adjusting to life with her uncles. I really liked meeting Lucy's friends Justine and Zoe, I hope they both get their own books. The bikers of Hog Heaven church were an just a few of the other interesting sided-characters introduced in this book. 

I absolutely love the Friday Harbor series and the Nolan brothers, I can't wait to see Alex get his story! He has so much disappointment and I really can't wait to see him feel the magic in his life.

Rating: 5