Watch Me

Watch Me by Lisa Renee Jones

Publisher: Harlequin Blaze

September 2012

ISBN: 978-0-373-79714-1

Pages: 217

Meagan Tippan is a producer that is trying to make twelve young dancers dreams come true with a reality TV show.  But there are rumors of a curse when sets are sabotaged and their living quarters end up flooded.  If Meagan can’t turn things around and quickly the dancers’ dreams aren’t the only dreams that won’t be coming true but Meagan’s dream of the TV show being a hit won’t happen either.    

Sam Kellar is a former Special Forces and now head of security.  While it is his job to make sure the security for the show and dancers are covered he is also proving to be a pain in Meagan’s butt.  As Sam and Meagan work together on the show the tensions between them continue to heat up and it is soon becoming clear that their only choices is to either get everything out between them so that they can take it all off.

Meagan knows Sam is hot but he is also an alpha male that she has a tendency to steer clear of but for some reason when it comes to Sam she is more inclined to head his way rather than away from him.  Sam enjoys the challenge Meagan presents him as she keeps him on his toes but he knows another way for them to work out what is between them; he just has to convince Meagan to see things his way.

This story is a fun take on the reality TV craze.  The characters are interesting and will draw readers into the story and keep them hooked.  And with this being a Harlequin readers are guaranteed an HEA.  The story also gives the readers a small peek into the behind the scenes of what can happen on a reality TV show.  This one will have readers eagerly awaiting the next book in the Step Up books. 

I give this one 4-1/2 red roses

The Lonely furrow

THE LONELY FURROW,



BY



PAMELA KAVANAGH,



PUBLISHED BY



ROBERT HALE.



ISBN NUMBER 978-0-7090-9637-5..













This story which is centred on the Drummond family, begins in Glasgow. The young man who begins the story is walking from his home, in Langsdale Avenue; it is a big imposing house, to his father’s Grocery store which is on Argyle Street.



He is in a very happy state of mind, swinging his silver topped cane as he walks. He has his life very much in order and has everything to look forward to. He is engaged to Isobel Mcnair, a beautiful and rich young lady, who was shortly returning home from a country visit and he is longing to see her. He will next year be starting at the Glasgow University, to read for his degree in engineering. Life is good and he couldn’t be happier. But this sublime feeling of happiness and contentment was about to come to an abrupt end.



As Nathan Drummond walked briskly through the park, a short cut to town and his father’s store, he heard the news boys cry, ‘read all about it City bank collapses’.



Nathan’s heart jerked and he rushed to buy a news paper. It was true, the bank where his father was an investor had fallen, taking many of its investor’s with it, his father included. Rushing up to his father’s office he handed the paper to his father, with shaking hands.



Balfour Drummond took the paper and bowed his head, he had heard the news. Straitening his back he said.’ It is bad, devastating news, but if we sell everything we own, we should be able to pay all our creditors and hold our heads high.'



Nathan looked at his father, he seemed to have aged suddenly. ‘Sell everything,’ he echoed. ‘Will we have nothing left father? His father shook his head. Thoughts of Isobel and his University place rushed through his head, they were ruined, and all his father had worked for in the last thirty year was gone.



The Family were in shock, where would they go and what would they do if all had to be sold?



Balfour Drummond told his wife that they must sell her inheritance from her uncle. This was a farm in Shropshire. Glebe Farm was just outside of the village of Hadnall, it had not been inhabited for a long while. But Florence Drummond refused to do so, she decided that they could all go to England and make a home at Glebe Farm and work the land.



The family were stunned by the plan their mother had outlined for their future, Balfour demanded that she obeyed him and sold the farm, but she was adamant they should move to England where no one would be aware of their shame.



The next day Nathan made his way to see Isobel, expecting to see the same sad story again in the Mcnair household, but he was surprised when his visit was very different to his expectations. Mr Macnair had apparently sold all his shares in the bank just in time and his fortune was safe.



Isobel was very cold towards him and said that had she had only a few minutes to talk to him as she was going out with her parents. Nathan said that perhaps they should no longer be betrothed because of his altered circumstances, and to his surprise Isobel handed him the ring back and left him alone as she went to meet her parents.



Will the Drummond family move to England and make a home at Glebe Farm and will they all settle there to make a new life or will Balfour have his way and stay in Glasgow?



Read this powerful story and find all the answers, you won’t be able to put it down; it pulls you into their lives and keeps you there. There are highs and lows in this book, but it is compelling right to the last page. AS





I award this book 4.5 roses.

A Werewolf's Soldier

A Werewolf’s Soldier: Warwolves by Kayley Scott

Publisher: DLZ Entertainment LLC

May 2012

ISBN: 987-1-937608-06-4

Present day, Afghanistan

Joshua “Josh” Tanner is a sergeant in the army and he has seen numerous deployments, first to Iraq and now to Afghanistan.  Through all of his tours he has gotten the reputation of being one of the best soldiers around.  He has been very lucky in his tours but on his latest mission he is behind enemy lines and injured in the Korengal Valley.  Josh isn’t sure if he will make through this latest mission until a mysterious and sexy stranger comes up to him.

Tuck is a werewolf that has been sent on a special mission and while on that mission he finds the one man that just might be his mate.  Now he has to get Josh to safety so that Tuck has a chance to learn about his mate.  Though Tuck will have to explain that the world as Josh knows it is vastly different because there are things out there that Josh thought was only make-believe.  Tuck is part of a secret unit for the military that is charged with finding the bad things that go bump in the night and taking care of the threats they pose to the humans unaware of their existence.

Just as Tuck thinks the last 12 years he has spent looking for his mate has come to an end with his discovery of Josh they suddenly find themselves being hunted by an ancient evil.  Now Tuck is going to have to show Josh who he truly is if they are going to have a chance of surviving but Tuck isn’t sure that by showing who he really is isn’t going to end up costing him the love of his life.

This is a great story that has super hot military men that will have the reader reaching for the nearest ice water.  This is one story that once the reader starts reading it they will find it extremely hard to put it down for any reason.  While for some readers will love the sexy military men they may not enjoy the m/m factor in the book.  This story blends paranormal and military perfectly for an excellent plot that will have the reader wondering what will happen next.  This one will also have the reader eagerly awaiting the next book in this series.

I give this one 5 red roses 

If I Were You

If I Were You by Lisa Renee Jones

Publisher: Lisa Renee Jones

August 2012

ISBN: 978-0-985-81700-8

Pages: 320

San Francisco present day

Sara McMillian is a school teacher that has inherited a storage unit from her friend when her friend decided to elope.  Now Sara finds herself with the task of trying to clean out a storage unit before the lease expires.  Sara finds herself uncomfortably going through a woman’s possessions and wondering where she went when she obviously took such care to pack up her items and store them.  Now Sara is left with puzzle that as she digs through this woman’s intimate papers and journals Sara finds she is unable to let the mystery go.  Soon Sara finds herself working in a prestigious gallery and starting to live her own dreams.  Suddenly Sara has met several men that could easily be the man that is written about in the journals she has found and read from the storage unit.  

Chris Merit is an artist that is more than Sara first thought. Not only is he rich, famous and successful but there is a dark side to him that Sara finds calls out to her more and more.  That side draws Sara to him and she finds that although she should probably turn away from him that no matter what she can’t. 

Sara is suddenly in a world where she is not sure exactly who she can trust or if she can trust anyone at all.  Intent on finding out the truth of what really happened to the journal writer she is going to have to find a way to maneuver through the world she finds herself in. And while Sara wants to trust Chris she is not sure if she really can or if he knows more about the writer than it seems.

This is a wonderful story that the reader will find hard to put down once they start reading it.  The plot has some wonderful twists that will keep the reader on edge until the very last page and beyond.  This story needs to come with one caution because this one has a cliffhanger that hopefully will have some answers in the next two books.  This book does not have an ending though it is sure to keep the reader eagerly counting down the time until the next book comes out so that the reader can find out just what will happen next.  This is a great suspense story that is sure to please.

I give this one 5 red roses 

The Claimed

The Claimed by Caridad Pineiro

Publisher: Grand Central

May 2012

ISBN: 978-0-446-58460-9

Pages: 343

Victoria Johnson lives in a small beachside town where she has what she needs in that she is her own boss and has some great friends.  The only problem is that her friends really don’t know who she really is and that is someone with superhuman powers that she has because she is an heiress to an ancient race.  Victoria is a Light Hunter whose sole duty is to restore her people to the glory they once had and to do that she has to find the perfect mate. 

Christopher Sombrosa is a Shadow Hunter that has defied his father for the good of his people so that they can get away from the affliction and violence that has so far ruled their world.  Christopher also knows that the best chance for his people to survive is to find a mate, one that helps him carry on his bloodline. 

Christopher and Victoria find everything they hope to find in their mates though with Christopher being a Shadow Hunter and Victoria being a Light Hunter they should be mortal enemies but they are finding that their attraction is too strong.  There are those on both sides that will stop at nothing to keep Christopher and Victoria apart and make sure that their people never get a chance to unite and possibly find the peace that they have not had for generations.

This is a great paranormal story that continues the storyline from the first book in this series, The Lost.  The characters draw the reader into the story and they don’t release the reader until the very end. The potential of several secondary characters getting their own stories will have the reader eagerly awaiting the next book in this series.  While this one can be read as a stand alone the story is much richer if the reader first reads the first book before reading this one.  This is one series that not be missed.

I give this one 5 red roses   

Lady of Shadows

Lady of Shadows: Sister of the Ring by Anne Ireland

Publisher: MuseItUp Publishing

June 2012

ISBN: 978-1-77127-075-5

Pages: 189

Wales 1393 & 1399

Rhianna is forced into a marriage with a man she is not sure she can trust or if she should.  What she doesn’t expect is for her feelings to change towards him.  Rhianna knows that her husband’s father killed her mother but is her husband like his father or is he a completely different man?  As she gets to know Robert better she finds him to be a man that she can love until what Robert feels is her betrayal threatens the happiness the have found with each other. 

Robert feels that Rhianna and he have had enough bitterness in their lives due to his father killing her mother.  Robert is drawn to Rhianna and he is determined that the past should be just that the past, but he is afraid that his father’s curse now lies on him and that he may never get away from it.  There are those that say Rhianna is a sorceress but can she free him from his curse and more importantly will she be willing to after the past? 

Now Robert and Rhianna are going to have to find their way back to each other if they are going to have the happiness they both want and that was theirs in the beginning.  While working through the obstacles that stand in their way Rhianna is finding out that the power that her mother had is now hers to command if she can just figure out how to control it.

This is the start of a trilogy that will have readers eagerly waiting for the next book.  The story brings the time period to life for the reader and the reader will have a hard time putting down the story as it pulls the reader in and refuses to let go.  While this has a nice ending this story is definitely open at the end so hopefully the reader will find out more about Rhianna and Robert in the next book.  There are scenes in this story that may disturb some readers but it is one book that is worth picking up and reading. 

I give this one 4-1/2 red roses   

The Vampire's Consort

The Vampire’s Consort by Caridad Pineiro

Publisher: Harlequin Nocturne Cravings

April 2012

Pages: 58

Eliza was given a choice to either die of the fatal illness she had or to become the consort to the vampire Adrian.  Eliza would have to attend to his every need.  Eliza chose to live.  What she never expected were for her feelings to grow to the point that she fell in love with Adrian.  Now things are getting complicated. Eliza finds it very erotic to watch Adrian pleasure his many conquests though she just wishes he would see her more than just his consort. 

Eliza is ready to move on and in with her human lover until Adrian changes everything with an encounter between the three of them.

This is a well written story that is fast and engrossing.  The characters are fully developed and sympathic.  This story packs a lot in a few short pages but the story is done so well the reader will believe it is a full length novel instead of the novella it truly is.  If readers enjoy paranormal stories and vampires this is one to check out.

I give this one 4-1/2 red roses. 

Bound by the Night

Bound by the Night by Cynthia Eden

Publisher: Cynthia Eden

April 2012

Pages: 114

Jamie O’Connell needs Iona if he is going to have a chance of defeating his enemy.  Jamie is finding that Iona helps make his wolf stronger which gives him a better chance of winning against his enemy.  What he didn’t count on was that he might need Iona to make him stronger but he is finding out that he just needs her period and he will do whatever he has to so that he doesn’t lose her. 

Iona has been dead to the world for fifteen years.  Now that she is awake she is finding out that the world as she knows it has changed quite a bit.  Iona had a dark reputation and because of the reputation she is now known as the Blood Queen.  Being asleep for so long she is hungry and she is finding out that the blood of one man is the only thing that will satisfy her, and Jamie really isn’t a man, he is a werewolf.

Jamie is hiding things from Iona that just might mean she has traded one curse for another.  Jamie and Iona are going to have to find a way to defeat Jamie’s enemy and find a way for the two of them to find a happiness that is fast becoming more important than anything else in their world.

This another great story in this series.  The story is fast paced and the reader will not want to put this one down until the very last page.  The characters are wonderfully written and full of a depth that makes them come alive for the reader.  The plot is engaging and very well written.

I give this one 5 red roses  

Night of the Cougar

Night of the Cougar by Caridad Pineiro

Publisher: Harlequin Nocturne Cravings

May 2012

ISBN: 978-14592-3115-3

Pages: 67

Jamie Morrison is a reporter that managed to get the story of a lifetime when she managed to get an interview with bestselling author Galen Hawke.  What she never expected was the intense attraction between them.  After one night together they made plans to get together again.  That all changed when Galen was in an accident.

Galen Hawke was changed after his accident to the extent he never made his meeting with Jamie.  Now she is back.  Locked together in his mountain lodge because of a snowstorm they find that their attraction is just as strong as ever.  But will Jamie be willing to stay with him after she finds out the changes that have happened to him?

Jamie is determined to find out what happened to Galen and see just where their attraction will lead but first she has to make it past the walls Galen has built around himself during the year they have been apart.  Only time will tell if they will be able to have a future together or if the accident changed too much. 

This is a great story that will pull the reader in and have them mourning when they reach the end of the story.  This is one story not to miss.  While it is a short story it is very much worth the time to read.  The characters are very well written and they pull the reader in and will have them hoping that Galen and Jamie will get the happy ever after they so very much deserve. 

I give this one 5 red roses