The Protector (Sons of Texas #2) by Donna Grant
4 stars
This installment starts right where book 1 left off so I highly suggest that you read that one first. Marine Force Recon Captain Cullen Loughman receives word that his father has been kidnapped. Cullen will do whatever it takes to locate is dad and bring him home. In order to do so, he must team up with ex-Air Force pilot Mia Carter, who happens to be a stunning woman. Mia was the last person to see Cullen’s dad before he disappeared. The only problem is that Mia is neck deep in trouble dodging the cartel. Cullen and Mia take the reader on a wild ride in order to locate Orrin. Both the hero and the heroine are bad asses, but realize that they must trust the other in order to survive. This is an excellent portrayal of love, loyalty, and trust. Kudos to Ms. Grant for an excellent plot and to Ms. Carly Robins who was an enjoyable narrator. This reader especially enjoyed this installment and is looking forward to more! Highly recommended!
Thanks to Tantor for giving me this audio in exchange for a honest review.
The Widower’s Wife by Cate Holahan
3 stars
By all appearances, Tom and Ana Bacon have it all – lavish lifestyle, extravagant trips, mansion, and money to burn. However, all of this is the furthest from the truth. Creditors are repossessing their belongings and foreclosure is imminent. Ana is attempting to keep her small family afloat since Tom has lost his job.
Tom’s financial woes may be solved when Ana drowned after falling off the deck of a cruise ship. Ana’s life insurance policy was ten million dollars. Ryan Monahan, a private investigator for ISIS Insurance Company, the carrier for Ana’s policy, has been assigned to determine if Ana’s untimely death could have either been from foul play or a suicide. Ryan immediately suspects Tom, but Tom has an ironclad alibi. Could Ana have possibly committed suicide since the financial ruin was too much for her to handle?
The story took on several twists and turns and was always a page turner. However, this reader found several points of Tom and Ana’s marriage to be unreal. The ending was also rather unbelievable as well. The cover for the audio book in this reader’s humble opinion was very poor. The cover appeared to be a 1970’s retro rather than a current picture. This could prove costly for the author when many readers do get sucked in from just the cover alone. The narrator was new to me and did help to keep the storyline going. Thanks to Tantor Media for supplying me with this book in exchange for a honest review.
Guardians Mate (Shifters Unbound #9) by Jennifer Ashley
Guardians Mate (Shifters Unbound #9) by Jennifer Ashley
3.75 Stars
In the last installment, the Guardian was destroyed and now the shiftertown is in need of another one. Surprisingly, Rae Lyall, an orphan was designated by the goddess. The shifters are not happy about this rare gesture. Not only is Ran an orphan but is female. Rae is the first female to be a guardian. Rae is resentful and does not want to be burdened as a guardian of the shifters.
Elon, Rae’s dad, takes her out of shiftetown to learn new skills from Zander, who is a polar bear healer. These two were great together. This reader enjoyed the banter between the two. Zander taught Rae well in how to hold a sword and how to locate a shifter heart. Before Rae was completed trained, she had to perform her duties to an Alaskan shifter.
Rae and Zander decided to celebrate her success and went to a non-shifter bar. A bar fight ensued, which led to a boat adventure. This reader did not see how this adventure contributed to the overall book. During this adventure, both were captured by a human shifter hunter. Eventually this hunter became a friend and Zander helped him and his ill wife. The mating frenzy hits shifters, and this is exactly what happened to these two.
This reader had a difficult time with this installment. There was too much going on that really didn’t add to the plot. Rae and Zander had somewhat of a likeable relationship but not enough to feel the love.
Thanks to Tantor for supplying me with this book for a honest review.
Hidden Summit (#15 Virgin River) by Robyn Carr
4 stars
Leslie Petruso has accepted a job in Virgin River with Haggerty Construction in order to get away from her ex-husband who just can’t stand that she is avoiding him. With the help of Brie, Connor Danson is staying in Virgin River until a high profile trial that he is affiliated with is over. He has changed his identity and is staying at one of the small cabins until his ordeal is over. Both Leslie and Connor have been burned by love and vow to never fall for anyone again.
The good folks of Virgin River, however, can easily see the chemistry between the two. Leslie and Connor begin to have deep feelings at the early onset of their relationship. This reader was rooting for both with the hopes of a smooth transition between being Danny and now Connor. Being in the wrong place totally uprooted Danny – aka Connor, and he is ready to put his life back together and be reunited with his sister and her twin boys.
This book was more emotional than the others. While Ms. Carr has been introducing newbies to Virgin River, this one was the most dramatic. The ended drew to a climax too quickly for this reader – thus the 4 stars. Connor’s sister’s love issue was left wide open; thus, moving the reader into the next installment.
Born in Death (#23 In Death) by JD Robb
5 stars
What can I say – I loved this book. So far, this is one of my all-time favorites of this series. Eve is investigating the murder of a professional woman. Quickly, the murder becomes two as her fiancé who happens to work for the same company is also found murdered. In the middle of all of this, Eve is tasked with throwing a baby shower for her BFF, Mavis. Both Roarke and Eve are at crossroads with Mavis’ impending delivery since they were requested to be in the birthing room. Eve is extremely out of her comfort zone, and of course, Peabody pitches in to save the day. The baby shower is a success, except Mavis is extremely worried about another pregnant woman she befriended in her childbirth class. Tandy was excited to be invited but never showed. Eve promised Mavis that she would check on Tandy, which quickly became a kidnapping.
I loved the banter between Roarke and Eve on the baby issues. Both came from dysfunctional families are so out of their comfort zone. Give these two a grisly murder, and they can handle but give them a pregnant woman – and watch out! Both of the mommies go into labor at Eve and Roark’s home, and Sommerset, of all people, knows exactly what to do.
Watching Eve run back and forth between the two women was enough to give this book 5 stars. This installment just goes to show how close all of our characters are and they tough as nails Eve can also have a BFF that she will do anything for!
John Moody: Navy Seal – The Kola Peninsula Conspiracy by Dick Couch
3.5 stars
This is the first book that I have read by this author and certainly won’t be my last. Not many authors use their backgrounds to write such as well detailed and thought out plot. Mr. Moody is actually an ex. Navy Seal so the premise of this book was fitting. One can only assume that while this is a work of fiction, the author did use his vast skills and knowledge and incorporated into the storyline.
John Moody grew up tough on a ranch in Wyoming. In order to avoid the rodeo circuit or hard cattle farming, Moody headed to college and then to Seal training in Colorado. His life coasted along until the Kola mission. Now, John Moody is in the throes of one of his most dangerous missions.
If you like action, you will like this one. Joe Barnett is a new narrator to me, and I found his rendition of the story to be enjoyable. Thanks to Tantor Media for giving me this book in exchange for a honest review.
Drained by E.H. Reinhard (An Agent Hank Rawlings FBI Thriller Book 1)
3 stars
Nice start to a new series. What I liked about this book was the plot, which did keep me engaged. I love a good FBI thriller, and this one did not disappoint. What I didn’t like was the constant descriptors, which became extremely boring and did not add to the storyline. I did enjoy the author’s writing style and the visualization of the characters. The book could have definitely been longer in order to thicken the plot. The entire story appeared extremely rushed and the killer was detected and apprehended too quickly.
The audio was well prepared and the narrator did a nice job in bringing this story to life. Thanks to Tantor Media for supplying me this book in exchange for a honest review.
Second Life by S.J. Watson
2 stars
This book started out with promise. Chapter one was leading up to the beginning of a suspenseful thriller. Sadly, after chapter one, the storyline started to go downhill. After the middle of the book, I absolutely hated both of the main characters. The plot shifted from Julia’s sister’s murder to Julia and the rough life that she led before her husband married her and returned her to a more suitable lifestyle.
In Julia’s quest to find her sister’s murderer, she decided to login to her sister’s online dating account. What an excuse to meet men in the name of a dead woman. This book was not dark but was absolutely morbid and boring! To make matters worse, the book was written in first person present tense even when Julia was describing her past life and the life of her sister.
I can’t imagine this book as a audio. This review in no way slams the author but just wasn’t for me.
Depraved Heart by Patricia Cornwell
2.75 stars
Gone are the days where I just couldn’t wait until the next installment of Kay Scarpetta. I loved all of the characters especially Kay. Now, my beloved characters are really annoying me and the banter between all of them is giving me a headache. I do realize that this is book 23 and only so much can happen, but please bring back some of the villains and make Kay, Benton, and Lucy worthy again.
The story was a rehash of what has occurred in the past and everyone is worried that Carrie didn’t die but is making their life a living hell not knowing when she will resurface. To sum up this book, there was just too much going on within a 24 hour period. I could hardly keep up and the tome of the book that it is could have been fully fleshed out in half the number of pages. There was one suspicious death that finally made since at the beginning of the last chapter. Lucy has been reduced to the lowest level ever, and Kay is not much better. Please, please bring back the old Kay and Benton that we love. At this point, Benton and Kay might get a divorce and all live happier than what is being disclosed. I have so much invested in this series that I will continue reading until I can’t take the characters anymore, and this may be sooner rather than later.
The Hemingway Thief by Shaun Harris
3 Stars
The Hemingway Thief by Shaun Harris
I am a sucker for a good mystery. Henry Cooper, Coop to his friends is vacationing on a Baja beach with the owner of the hotel, Grady Doyle. Grady attempts to save a drunk man from two thugs. The man happens to be Ebbie Mitch, a small time thief. This time Ebbie is on the run from Mexican authorities because he has stolen a first draft of Ernest Hemingway’s work from a rare book dealer.
The manuscript contains secrets to unlock the location of a suitcase that Hemingway lost in Paris. Coop is a writer but writes under a pseudo name. He is tired of writing and not getting any acknowledgement. Locating the manuscript could be worth millions of dollars and Coop, Grady, and Ebbie are on the run to locate the priceless treasure.
While I enjoyed listening to this book, I didn’t love it. Normally, I don’t read works of fiction that ties back to real life characters. One must determine what is real and what is fiction. The writing was well written and did contain some laugh out loud moments. This was a fun mystery thriller.
Thanks to Tantor for giving me this audio in exchange for an honest review.
