Review: Kakadu Sunset by Annie Seaton

Book Blurb:

In the ancient lands of Kakadu, it's not just the crocodiles you should be afraid of...

Helicopter pilot Ellie Porter loves her job. Soaring above the glorious Kakadu National Park, she feels freed from the heavy losses of her beloved family farm and the questions around her father's suicide. But when a search-and-rescue mission on the boundary of the older property reveals unusual excavation works, Ellie vows to investigate.

The last thing she needs is her bad-tempered co-pilot, Kane McClaren, interfering. The son of the current owners of the farm, her attraction to him is a distraction she can't afford, especially when someone threatens to put a stop to her inquiries - by any means necessary.

Ellie will have to trust Kane if she is to have any hope of uncovering the truth of what is really going on. Between Ellie's damage and Kane's secrets, can they find a way to open up to each other before the shadowy forces shut her up...for good?

My Review:

Kakadu Sunset by Annie Seaton is an intricate, complex yet easy to follow story with deep characters.  Annie blends together very well intriguing elements of both romance and suspense in Kakadu Sunset, with the suspenseful story line leading the way.  I liked that Kakadu Sunset was a multi focal story and that all the pieces fit together so well.  I felt like I got a bit of everything in Kakadu Sunset...from corruption, modern day environmental issues, relationships, an evil bully, danger, sadness, and at the same time the peaceful feeling of love and caring.

For Ellie, Kakadu is home and always will be.  For Kane, it's a for now home, and he doesn't know what the future will hold.  These two are unexpectedly drawn together and make a strong hero and heroine.  I liked seeing them get to know each other.  I liked that there was a not a lot of overblown drama between them.  They felt like mature characters who could be people I know.  The situation they find themselves in is unexpected, and their journey is both thrillingly scary at times, and so touching at other times.  I like how Annie wove all of this together into a believable plot.  The secondary characters are all a necessary part of the story line and they add a lot of depth to Kakadu Sunset.

I love, loved the descriptions of the land that Annie writes.  She took me right there...it was a place easy to visualize and feel.

With a great pace and smooth writing that was easy to become absorbed in, I really enjoyed reading Kakadu Sunset and for a brief time becoming part of the place!  I'd recommend Kakadu Sunset to any romantic suspense reader.

4/5 stars

Review: Barefoot with a Bad Boy (Barefoot Bay Undercover #3)

Book Blurb:
 A man who trusts no one is forced to believe the unbelievable...

For years, former spy Gabriel Rossi has been secretly searching for CIA linguist Isadora Winter, a woman he loved and lost long ago. But recently, he learned of her untimely death in an accident...and death of her son named Gabe. Angry, hurt, and uncertain of his next move, Gabe is stunned when a woman he's never met approaches him on the beach and claims to be Isadora. She doesn't look, act, or talk like his beloved Isa, but she knows things about their past that only a lover could know, and she assures him that his son is alive as well. As much as he wants to believe her and knows that in the spy world, anything is possible, doubts and distrust plague him. Still, he sees glimmers of the woman he once knew shine through and she begins to melt his hardened heart.

A woman who is tortured by emotions must endure the pain of love...

Lila Wickham has been working deep undercover for so long that sometimes she's forgotten who she really is. Now that her assignment is over and the surgeries she endured left her utterly changed, she is determined to fix the broken life she left behind and assure that her little boy is safe. With lingering threats from an unknown source and blinding headaches that torment her whenever she feels deep emotion, she seeks Gabe Rossi for help and protection. But instead of setting her up with a new undercover identity, he insists on luring her nemesis to Barefoot Bay so he can end the threat to Lila and her son once and for all.

Can they survive the worst betrayal of all?

Even if they succeed in drawing out the killer who has Lila in his sights, a much more serious threat hovers over them...a treacherous, deadly truth that could not only destroy their love but end their lives as well.

My Review:

Barefoot With a Bad Boy is a fast paced romantic suspense that sucked me in and didn't want to let me go.  Gabe is a former spy now in the security business with his own private agenda.  Lily is a mysterious woman who is not at all who she appears to be.

I really enjoyed Barefoot With a Bad Boy and didn't want to put it down!  Roxanne's smooth, well paced writing along with great characters and a unique, believable plot kept me feeling like I was in this story with Lily and Gabe.  Lily and Gabe are a powerful pair separately and together.  They make a strong heroine/hero.  Gabe is not one to give up until he has all of the answers...I could feel his strength, his love and that he was a total alpha!  I could easily picture him in my head.  I felt for both of these characters - what they've been through and what they are going through now.  Lily is really struggling and I was intrigued to see how she would deal with things.  I liked how Roxanne wrote this, how Lily worked through things.

I liked the thrill of the suspense.  With all the interwoven connections and the unexpected plot twists, Barefoot With a Bad Boy made me feel fear, but at the same time a glimmer of hope.  I felt like what was happening in Lily and Gabe's world was something that could happen in real life.

I felt like I had a clear picture of past relationships and how these were playing a strong role in the present and would in the future.  The characters are mature and well developed.  The secondary characters add a lot of depth to the main plot, and I've seen a lot of them in previous books in this series.  However, they are supporting characters in this book and Barefoot With a Bad Boy can easily be read as a stand alone.

Showing us life will always throw us the unexpected and how we react to this will guide our path, Barefoot With a Bad Boy is a romantic suspense that at times took my breath away.  I'd recommend it to any romantic suspense reader.


5/5 stars



Review: The Valentine Gamble (Whiskey River Series Book 6) by Katherine Garbera and Eve Gaddy

Book Blurb:

Johnny Gamble isn’t afraid of anything. Except Fiona Lannigan’s effect on him. It’s not just that she sees through his love ‘em and leave ‘em ways, she’s also his partner in Whiskey River’s most prestigious law firm. He believes she deserves better than him until they “matched” at the annual Valentine’s Day dance and the night turns into one of the most romantic of his life. Convincing him that he’s found a woman he doesn’t want to leave. 

Fiona is all for a good time with Johnny. There have been sparks between them from the beginning, but more than one night between the sheets isn’t in the cards. Or so she thinks, until Johnny turns on the romance. 

Can Johnny convince Fiona that this is one Valentine’s Gamble worth taking? 

My Review:

I loved being back in Whiskey River in Valentine's Gamble!  There are familiar characters from previous books in this series, but the spotlight is on Johnny and Fiona.  They both have their reasons for not getting involved with anyone, but they are also both drawn to each other.  Working together makes a personal relationship impossible...or does it? 

I liked getting to know Johnny and Fiona as they got to know each other on a more personal level.  The rapid progress of their relationship is written in a believable way, and it was a fun adventure to be on as Johnny could no longer deny his feelings - if only Fiona's didn't scare her so much.  I liked the romance and heat in Valentine's Gamble, and the uncertainty of what the future might hold. 

Valentine's Gamble is a perfect read for Valentine's Day.  Well paced, easy to read,  and heart felt, I'd recommend Valentine's Gamble to any romance reader.


4/5 stars


Purchase from Amazon.com



Review: Lady in Red by Mel Teshco

Book Blurb:

Bullied and battered as a child, Kate Matthews grows up and transforms herself into beautiful and confident, Brandy Alexander, a sexy, high-class call girl. With a select number of rich and successful clients and a jaw dropping income, Kate feels like she’s living her dream being desired and bedded by some of Australia’s most powerful and influential men. But she has one rule. Don’t fall in love. Except the more time she spends with her favorite client Blaine Waymann, the more she fears he might be the one man who could topple the perfect world she’s built. 

Billionaire philanthropist Blaine Waymann is determined to break Kate’s rule. He wants exclusive rights to Brandy and Kate, in bed and out, and is willing to risk everything to win her body and her trust. But when Kate starts opening her heart to Blaine, she faces an agonizing decision. Run like she always does, or stay with the man she not only lusts after, but loves.

My Review:

In Lady in Red by Mel Teschco, the characters pulled me in to a believable plot.  I felt like I got to know Kate, and I really felt for her.  How she has moved forward in her life is different, but it's what works for her.  Or so she tells herself, but does it really?  She finally feels valued and desirable in life, but is the temporary nature of it enough?  Secretly she craves more, but is afraid to let herself hope or trust.  Mel Teshco writes Kate's character well, and I felt like she was well defined because we knew her past and her present...her future is the question.  I liked Kate, and even though I found her a bit frustrating at times, I could understand her.

Blaine has wanted Kate from the moment he laid eyes on her...and not just in the context of her job.  He really pursues her.  It had the potential to be stalkerish, but both of these characters had feelings for each other, so it really wasn't.  I like how he sees so much more in Kate than she sees in herself, and I like how the issue of her job is there but it's not the big issue.  How Kate and Blaine come together is unique...but how will they end up?

I liked how Mel wrote Lady in Red.  There are sex scenes, but not over the top, and they are completely relevant to the plot line in many ways.  The secondary characters are interesting, and I liked how Blaine's mother was brought into the story.

The pace of Lady in Red has good flow to it, and it was easy to keep reading as Kate tried to overcome the obstacles blocking her future.  A steamy, emotional read, I'd recommend Lady in Red to any romance reader.

4/5 stars

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Review: A Christmas Miracle for Daisy (Taming of the Sheenans Book 5) by Jane Porter

Book Blurb:

Media Mogul, Cormac Sheenan, had no desire to become a family man, but when his two year old goddaughter, Daisy, is orphaned, he adopts her, moving her from Montana to his home in Southern California, and becomes a devoted single father, juggling parenting duties with running his successful publishing, TV, and radio enterprise. 

But two years later a frightening incident at Daisy’s school, shakes Cormac, and he decides to move Daisy–and his business–back to Montana where life is simpler and he has family nearby. 

Now four, precocious Daisy strikes up an unlikely friendship with Marietta’s seasonal Santa Claus, and believes he’s the real thing, even though Cormac points out to her that this jolly old Kris Kringle is renting a room at Bramble House, not living at the North Pole. Daisy’s not worried but Cormac is as Rent-a-Santa has promised his innocent daughter she’ll have a mommy for Christmas. 

Cormac is livid with Kris. He’s not at all ready to settle down, and he’s definitely not getting back together with his old flame Whitney Alder, so Santa can stop playing match maker as it’d take a miracle to make him fall in love, never mind marriage material. 

But that’s exactly the kind of miracle our angelic Santa Claus has planned… 

My Review:

A Christmas Miracle for Daisy by Jane Porter has a strong Christmas theme but it is a book that will make you feel good and believe at any time of year.  I loved the characters in this story, from the struggling main characters Cormac and Whitney, to the secondary characters of Mr. Krinkle and Daisy, along with a host of other characters who are familiar from previous books in this series (Taming of the Sheenans).  Together they weave a wonderful tale.

Cormac and Whitney have a past that ended badly, and neither have a desire to be involved with each other again.  But there is a sweet little girl to consider, and a pull towards each other that is hard to resist.  Christmas in Marietta might just be the miracle they all need to heal...if they can find it in their hearts to forgive and move on.

I liked how Cormac and Whitney were together...the magnetic pull towards each other was as palpable as the resistance they tried to put up.  The issues they faced were believable and the feelings were real.  I couldn't wait to see how things would work our for them, and if Daisy would get her Christmas Miracle. I liked the involvement of the secondary characters.  They added depth and interest to the plot.

A unique second chance romance with a magical Christmas setting, A Christmas Miracle for Daisy is well written, flows smoothly and captured my heart.  I'd recommend it to any romance reader!

4/5 stars

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Review: Rules of Love & Murder (Love & Murder Book 2) by Edie Ramer

Book Blurb:

Some days life is wonderful. Other days it’s murder. 

Former Marine August Reyes is home for good, haunted by images of bloodshed. He meets up again with Elle Styles, the girl he's never been able to forget.  
  
When August was eight and Elle was six, she changed his and his mother's lives before she and her widowed mother left the Wisconsin vacation town. Twenty-two years later, she's returned to Trouble Bay with her four-year-old daughter, but they’re only staying for six weeks. Elle and August are different people now. He sees life through darkness, and she sees it through light. And light and dark don’t mix well. 
  
Someone else was changed by Elle when she was young. A woman who lives by her own rules. Rule Nr. Two—Don’t let anyone cheat you—is in play now. And this might lead to Rule Nr. Three: Don’t kill anyone ... unless killing is necessary. 
  
The town of Trouble Bay is about to live up to its name. Life there can be murder... Even when you’re falling in love. 

My Review:

I loved how Edie Ramer starts out Rules of Love and Murder with the story of how August and Elle first met.  It was so touching and feeling, it was a great way to take me to where they are today.  I really felt like I knew Elle and August from the beginning, and to go to where they are today was an easy transition.

Rules of Love and Murder is very intriguing, and very unexpected.  What I thought might happen for some parts of the plot didn't, and what I hoped would happen for some parts of the plot slowly made progress.  I really enjoyed how this story was written, so you never really knew what would happen.  August and Elle are strong main characters.  I liked that they knew each other from before and had a past together. They are the same but also different, and what brings them to where they are today and together is an intriguing plot line!!

There are strong secondary characters in Rules of Love and Murder...many we've seen in the first book in this series.  However, they are on the periphery enough in this book to make Rules of Love and Murder a strong stand alone.  The small town, the characters with secrets no one knows, the unexpected happenings, suspense, and a chance at love kept me glued to the pages!

Rules of Love and Murder has great flow, smooth writing, and reminds you you never really know what's going on even in small towns!  Rules of Love and Murder can easily be read as a stand alone, and I'd recommend it to any romance reader looking for suspense and a story that takes you on an unexpected path!

4/5 stars

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Review: Driftwood Hero (Driftwood Bay Book 2) by Lenora Worth

Book Blurb:

When reclusive war hero, Sam Hinson, is asked to be the best man for his friend Brodie Steven, he heads to the small town of Spirit, Louisiana, only to find out from the bride’s gorgeous older sister that he needs to deliver the “best man” speech at the wedding reception. He doesn’t like to even be in a crowd, let along speak to one. 

Still hurting from her ex-husband, Madeline Sonnier Parker is ready for a little temporary romance. She tells Sam she’ll help him write his toast to the bride and groom if he’ll help her aggravate her ex-husband. But Sam’s been used before, and after being around Madeline, he decides he wants more than what she’s willing to give. 

Their pact sets off a string of revealing old hurts and new fears as Sam and Madeline come together. But once they begin opening up to each other, they realize that this wedding bargain might just be the start to something more…

My Review:

Driftwood Hero by Lenora Worth is a fast paced romance that really made me feel hope for the main characters.  Driftwood Hero is all about how the past shapes the present...the outlook on life and love, facing fear and overcoming it.  Sam and Madeline grew up in two very different families, but as adults they found themselves in very similar situations.  Their feelings and fears are realistic, their experiences believable.  I liked how different these main characters were, but at the same time they were very similar.  The way they react to situations made them feel real.  

Driftwood Hero takes place mainly over a few days, but I was quickly drawn into the lives of Maddie and Sam and felt like I was able to get to know them.  I could also sense the connection between Madeline and Sam from the start.  Sam and Madeline might get a second chance at love in Driftwood Hero, if they can let go of the past.

I loved the descriptiveness Lenora wrote with.  The setting is easy to picture, and the bustle of getting ready for a wedding easy to imagine!  

The second book in the Driftwood Bay series, Driftwood Hero can be read as a stand alone.  I'd recommend Driftwood Hero to any romance reader.

4/5 stars

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