Suzanne Brockmann starts a new series with Do or Die

******************************Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book***************************

Navy SEAL Ian Dunn went rogue in a big way when he turned his talents to a lawless life of jewel heists and con jobs. Or so the world has been led to believe. In reality, the former Special Ops warrior is still fighting for good, leading a small band of freelance covert operatives who take care of high-stakes business in highly unofficial ways. That makes Ian the hands-down choice when the U.S. government must breach a heavily guarded embassy and rescue a pair of children kidnapped by their own father, a sinister foreign national willing to turn his kids into casualties. Shockingly, Ian passes on the mission for reasons he will not—or cannot—reveal.
 
But saying no is not an option. Especially not for Phoebe Kruger, Ian’s beautiful and unexpectedly brash new attorney. Determined to see the abducted children set free, Phoebe not only gets Ian on board but insists on riding shotgun on his Mission: Impossible–style operation, whether he likes it or not.
 
Though Phoebe has a valuable knack for getting out of tight spots, there’s no denying the intensely intimate feelings growing between Ian and Phoebe as the team gears up for combat. But these are feelings they both must fight to control as they face an array of cold-blooded adversaries, including a vindictive mob boss who’s got Ian at the top of his hit list and a wealthy psychopath who loves murder as much as he loves money. As they dodge death squads and play lethal games of deception, Ian and Phoebe will do whatever it takes to save the innocent and vanquish the guilty—or die trying.

For many years, Ms Brockmann's Troubleshooter series has kept me fascinated. The characters kept me interested in the story and I loved when previous characters showed up in the new book. I'm desparate for another Troubleshooters book!  Then readers received "Born to Darkness" which was about superhero like people taking down the bad guys. I loved it, want another PLEASE!

I'm not sure what to say about this new book "Do or Die" which is the first book in the Relunctant Heroes series. I actually have not finished it. What is wrong with me! I have been trying for close to two months to finish this book but when I do read it, it doesn't keep my interest. As far as I can tell, while Phoebe is definitely stubborn, alot of the time she just sits back and does what Ian tells her to. Ian cant decide whether Phoebe is hired or fired, hired again, fired again. I guess I just don't really like the idea of a bad guy. I know he's not as bad as he seems, but that's what I'm seeing and I hate to see bad guys have happy endings. I am going to finish the book, and when I do I will update this page. Wish me luck. Oh, and Ms Brockmann, I still love your work, and I will continue to read anything you publish! I hate writing that I don't like a book. It seems like a sacrelidge.

Janet Evanovich takes us on a wild ride with stolen Rembrandts in her new book Fox and O'Hare book "The Chase"

Internationally renowned thief and con artist Nicolas Fox is famous for running elaborate and daring scams. His greatest con of all: convincing the FBI to team him up with the only person who has ever caught him, and the only woman to ever capture his attention, Special Agent Kate O’Hare. Together they’ll go undercover to swindle and catch the world’s most wanted—and untouchable—criminals.
 
Their newest target is Carter Grove, a former White House chief of staff and the ruthless leader of a private security agency. Grove has stolen a rare Chinese artifact from the Smithsonian, a crime that will torpedo U.S. relations with China if it ever becomes public. Nick and Kate must work under the radar—and against the clock—to devise a plan to steal the piece back. Confronting Grove’s elite assassins, Nick and Kate rely on the skills of their ragtag crew, including a flamboyant actor, a Geek Squad techie, and a band of AARP-card-carrying mercenaries led by none other than Kate’s dad. 
 
A daring heist and a deadly chase lead Nick and Kate from Washington, D.C., to Shanghai, from the highlands of Scotland to the underbelly of Montreal. But it’ll take more than death threats, trained henchmen, sleepless nights, and the fate of a dynasty’s priceless heirloom to outsmart Fox and O’Hare.

Kate and Nick are back in an even more amazing adventure. They must recover a bronze rooster that belongs to the country of China from the person who purchased the stolen item years before. They end up on board a plane bound for China where they have to swap a replica out for the real one, but that's never as easy as it sounds. Carter Grove, the man who owned the stolen rooster, owns a security firm that doesn't hesitate to hire the worst of the worst. And they are certainly after him. Their cover is blown when they land in China with the authorities right there ready for them. Nick escapes and Kate talks her way out of prison. 
They return to the states but somehow Grove figured out who they were and is now after them. They stage the biggest heist ever of three Rembrandt paintings from a museum in Canada with hopes of luring him in and getting him caught by the FBI so that he can't harm Kate's family.

I seriously love this series. I feel like it takes me back to some of the old Stephanie Plum novels that were so incredibly hilarious that we fell out of our chairs.  The last eight or so Plum novels haven't felt new, so this series is definitely refreshing! I can't wait for the next one!

The Argeneau's are at it again in an all new book by Lynsay Sands!

************Thank you Edelweiss for an advanved copy of this book*************

For Basha Argeneau, anything is better than facing her estranged family. Even hiding out in sweltering southern California. But when a sexy immortal in black shows up determined to bring her back to the clan, she'll do anything to keep far, far away from the past she can't outrun.

Marcus Notte isn't here to play games—especially not with someone as crazy as the infamous blonde. Asked by Lucian Argeneau to bring her back for questioning, Marcus is determined to carry out Lucian's request—no matter how the seductive little mind-reading vamp feels about it.

Basha doesn't mind fighting fire with fire, especially with a hot immortal involved. But if he wants to take her away, he'll have to catch her first . . 

Basha has been hiding for centuries from the Argeneau family, feeling she is rogue and knowing they would kill her.  She has roamed the world, spending time with different cultures. Nowadays, she is Madame Devine, a psychic with a traveling carnival.  She has been able to help people struggling with difficult decisions and even stopping a murderer or two. 

Marcus Notte has joined the carnival because the Argeneaus belived Basha was traveling with them. If she is a rogue , they need to know in case they need to execute her.  Marcus at once realizes that Divine is his lifemate. No way can she be rogue and no way will he let them execute her. He stays undercover as Marco the carni worker to observe and learn about Divine (as she prefers to call herself) but apparently Divine cannot stay out of trouble. First she is abducted by her own son, then when Marcus comes to talk to her, she attacks him with a mob.. She gives new meaning to the phrase "ballbuster". While he recovers, she goes in search of a host to feed on, someone sets fire to her RV with Marcus inside! Marcus manages to escape but Divine has to take him to feed and heal without the prying eyes of the other carnival workers.

All is not as it seems, though.

Ha, okay that's all Im going to say. I really don't want to give the story away! But, I thought it was fabulous! Although, it never actually details who set fire to the RV. Im still wondering about that. Maybe I need to read it again.. such  hardship, right? LOL! Well, Happy Reading!

JD Robb's new book Concealed in Death

In a decrepit, long-empty New York building, Lieutenant Eve Dallas’s husband begins the demolition process by swinging a sledgehammer into a wall. When the dust clears, there are two skeletons wrapped in plastic behind it. He summons his wife immediately—and by the time she’s done with the crime scene, there are twelve murders to be solved.

The place once housed a makeshift shelter for troubled teenagers, back in the mid-2040s, and Eve tracks down the people who ran it. Between their recollections and the work of the force’s new forensic anthropologist, Eve begins to put names and faces to the remains. They are all young girls. A tattooed tough girl who dealt in illegal drugs. The runaway daughter of a pair of well-to-do doctors. They all had their stories. And they all lost their chance for a better life.

Then Eve discovers a connection between the victims and someone she knows. And she grows even more determined to reveal the secrets of the place that was called The Sanctuary—and the evil concealed in one human heart.

When Rourke buys a old building and decides to revamp it, he ceremoniously whacks the wall with a sledgehammer and finds two bodies wrapped in plastic.  He calls his wife, infamous NYPD detective Eve Dallas.

Eve delves into the history of the building and the people who used it, she encounters stories of young girls who were runaways and street kids. There weren't any real connections between the kids except they had, at one time, stayed at The Sanctuary, a shelter for teens. With no suspects, she tries to connect the kids to anyone and hope to find the person who took their lives so young. Difficult to do with just bones, but a new forensic scientist helps find out what happened to the girls and come up with facial recognition to find out who they were.

I love Robb's books. They are either you know who the bad guy is but cant figure out how Eve can pin them down or you have no clue who it is until the end of the book. This is one of the latter. My only issue is that.... the ending wasn't nearly as exciting as most of her previous ones where she ticks off the murderer in interview until they confess and attack her.

Susan Mallery's final Blackberry Island novel "Evening Stars"

Small-town nurse Nina Wentworth has made a career out of being a caretaker. More "Mom" than their mother ever was, she sacrificed medical school—and her first love—so her sister could break free. Which is why she isn't exactly thrilled to see Averil back on Blackberry Island, especially when Nina's life has suddenly become…complicated. 

Nina unexpectedly finds herself juggling two men—her high school sweetheart and a younger maverick pilot who also wants to claim her heart. But as fun as all this romance is, Nina has real life to deal with. Averil doesn't seem to want the great guy she's married to, and doesn't seem to be making headway writing her first book; their mom is living life just as recklessly as she always has; and Nina's starting to realize that the control she once had is slipping out of her fingers. Her hopes of getting off the island seem to be stretching further away…until her mother makes a discovery that could change everything forever. 

But before Nina and Averil can reach for the stars, they have to decide what they want. Will Averil stay? Will Nina leave? And what about the men who claim to love them? Does love heal, or will finding their happy ending mean giving up all they've ever wanted? 

Blackberry Island has been a different type of genre for Ms Mallery. While I enjoyed the first ones, I much prefer her Fool's Gold series. This series has been more of a feel good type of book, with character twists and turns and personal growth. And the only tie in's to each book is the location. Any of them can be read separate from each other. 

I really enjoyed this book, but it took me awhile to get interested in it. And then the whole seeing two guys at the same time thing annoyed me. The sibling arguments between Nina and Averil were interesting, I see that in myself whenever I talk to my older sister. Bonnie, Nina's mother, annoyed me. I guess as a single parent, I truly do not understand how Bonnie could take absolutely no notice of her children and allow Nina, from the age of nine, to step up and take care of the family. I wanted to reach into the book and smack her. I kept hearing that Bertie kept her somewhat grounded and that Bertie wanted to take on more responsibility, it never really happened. 

Back to the two guys thing. There's Dylan, back home to start helping in his fathers medical practice. He is also Nina's first boyfriend. They were high school sweethearts and both were going to go to medical school and get married and live happily ever after. Until his parents pushed them apart.  
And there is Kyle. Handsome, dashing, charming... He was the older brother of a girl Nina babysat and he was obsessed with Nina from the age of twelve. Here he is, come to woo Nina after many years of unrequited love. Honestly, I kind of wish Ms Mallery had taken this a step farther and turned him into a stalker when Nina broke it off. 

The ending of the book didn't thrill me. I guess I needed to see more relationship building that I didn't feel I got.  Don't get me wrong, it was a good book. Just.. not as full fulling as I would have liked. I  hope Ms Mallery doesn't hurt me for being honest. I still love your books!! Nothing will change that!

More Than a Touch.. Alexis Morgan's second book in the Snowberry Creek series

Wounded in combat, Leif Brevik is haunted by survivor’s guilt. For the first time in his life—unsure if he still has a military career in his future—he feels completely lost. So when a war buddy calls for help with restoration of their fallen brother’s house, he jumps at the chance to regain a sense of purpose.

Zoe Phillips is assigned to monitor Leif’s physical therapy while he’s in town. But she’s a former military nurse, and she senses that his wounds are more than just physical. As she pushes the handsome soldier to open up, the connection between them deepens beyond the professional facade she tries to maintain.

And as Leif begins to put down roots in her beloved hometown, Zoe realizes that maybe having him around is exactly what she needs to heal her own wounded heart as well...

In the first book we met Leif. Injured in the same blast that killed the friend who ended up bringing him to Snowberry Creek, Leif is there to recuperate and heal. He meets Zoe at the physical therapy place he is sent to, as she is the resident nurse practitioner.   Zoe recognizes a wounded soul in Leif, as she was a nurse who watched her loved one die in combat. She also believes that her being a few years older makes it impossible for them to be together. 

Ive been reading Ms Morgans books for awhile. I adored her Paladins of Darkness series!! She is a great writer. This venture into contemporary romance is a welcome addition to my reading list! I could even compare her to Robyn Carr's Virgin River series, or Susan Mallery's Fools Gold series, which y'all know that I adore those series!! Snowberry Creek is a great series and  I cant wait for more!

Jeaneine Frost's finale of the Night Huntress series

OMG Once again, how the heck did I not know that another of my favorite series was ending??
-cries uncontrollably-

But, it did end well....

Lately, life has been unnaturally calm for vampires Cat Crawfield and her husband Bones. They should have known better than to relax their guard, because a shocking revelation sends them back into action to stop an all-out war…

A rogue CIA agent is involved in horrifying secret activities that threaten to raise tensions between humans and the undead to dangerous heights. Now Cat and Bones are in a race against time to save their friends from a fate worse than death…because the more secrets they unravel, the deadlier the consequences. And if they fail, their lives—and those of everyone they hold dear— will be hovering on the edge of the grave.

Cat and Bones are settling into life in the mountains when they ghostly Uncle Don comes to tell her that he cant contact anyone from her old team. After visiting with the new head of the secret agency, who is an absolute prick, Cat sets out to rescue her friends.

Visits to our friendly medium Tyler and to queen of the dead Marie bring them find out that Madigan is secretly experimenting on the vampires. He has a secret backer who wants to start a war between ghouls and vampires. Other major secrets are also revealed!

I just have to say, that from the very beginning this has been one of my favorite series. It was my first urban fantasy series. In my job as Reader's Advisory at the library, I suggest this series to many, many people. Now, my library isn't that big, but when I can get her a following of ten or twelve people with a few stragglers along the way, its a job well done! Frost is a fabulous author, and I hear that Cat and Bones will make appearances in future novels, so that makes me extremely happy!

Thank you, Ms Frost, for several years of excellent reading!