The Lost Boys

The Lost Boys by Lilian Carmine

Publisher: Random House

November 2013

ISBN: 9781448176564

Pages: 514

Contemporary, Paranormal, Young Adult

Joey Gray is a 17-year-old girl that is feeling a little lost now that she has moved to a strange town. That changes when she meets a mysterious boy near her new home.  Now as Joey finds her place in a new school and town she must deal with other issues that she isn’t too sure how to handle.

Tristan Halloway has a very good reason for always being found at the local graveyard.  What he never expected was someone like Joey.  Now Tristan and Joey are finding more than friendship but if they don’t find an answer they just might lose what they have found together.

This is a story that is sure to yank on the readers heartstrings.  It an emotional book that will have readers reaching for the box of Kleenex.  The characters and story are very well written and pull the reader into the story and doesn’t let go until the very last page.  It also takes some great twists and turns that take readers on an emotional roller coaster that will not disappoint.  This story will have readers looking for more books from this author.  This is the first of a trilogy and if the other books prove as good as the first one this is going to be one trilogy that will be an absolute keeper.

I give this one 5 red roses

LRH

The Valentine's Day Disaster

The Valentine’s Day Disaster: A Twilight Texas Novella by Lori Wilde

Publisher: Avon Impulse

February 2014

ISBN: 9780062311511

Pages: 100

Contemporary, Romance, Twilight, Texas

Sesty Snow is an event planner that at the moment isn’t a fan of flowers, hearts or romantic dinners.  She has had to learn to control her emotions and her life.  Even with that running Twilight’s annual bachelor auction is right up her alley.  At least it was until her high school sweetheart comes back to town.  He is just as handsome as ever but he is still the daredevil he was in high school and the reason their romance didn’t work then.

Josh Langtree is a NASCAR driver that was injured.  Josh doesn’t have any interest in being anyone’s sweetheart.  He just wants a place that he can heal from his wounds.  At least that was the plan until a misunderstanding has him doing community service by doing Sesty’s auction.  Now he is in front of screaming women wearing a tux and a smile all the while seeing just how tempting Sesty still is.

The sparks between them are just as hot as ever and Josh says he has changed but Sesty has to decide if she can trust that and let Josh take control and lead her to a future she never expect to have.

This is a very sweet Valentine’s Day book.  It is a novella so it isn’t very long but once the reader starts they will find a story that is just as full as any novel they could read.  The story is fast paced due to length the reader definitely gets their money worth with the plot.  It is another wonderful story set in Twilight, Texas and gives the reader a chance to visit a town that is full of surprises and romance.  This is proving to be a wonderful series that has some great characters that are fun to revisit again and again.  This one is sure to put anyone in the mood for Valentine’s Day.  This is one worth reading.

I give it 4-1/2 red roses

LRH 

Scream For Me

Scream for Me by Cynthia Eden

Publisher: Montlake Romance

February 2014

ISBN: 9781477848463

Pages: 380

Contemporary, Romantic Suspense, Alabama

Kyle McKenzie is an FBI agent that has been fantasizing about his partner, Cadence Hollow, since the first moment he met her.  While working the darkest case so far in their careers, their desire for each other comes to the surface.  Once they are together they are determined that nothing will part them except maybe death.  A cunning stalker named The Night Hunter has been at work for fifteen years abducing women over a four state area though it first started in Paradox, Alabama with Kyle’s sister.  Now The Night Hunter is hunting the hunter and he will be more than happy to separate the lovers by death.  

Kyle is going to have to face a painful past that he has managed to hide so far from Cadence.  He is determined to end the Hunter’s reign of terror either by putting him behind bars or in the ground.  The Hunter has the perfect weapon to use to lure Kyle into his murderous trap and that is Kyle’s love for Cadence which is even stronger than his obsession to know his sister’s grim fate. 

This is one story that will take the reader on a ride that is sure to have them up late at night just to see what happens in the book but also because this is one thriller that will have readers jumping at the bumps in the night. The story pulls the reader in and takes so many twists and turns that the reader will soon be wondering which way is up.  Just as the reader thinks they have it figured out the story takes another twist that will have them second guessing themselves.  This is one book that while it is dark it is so very engrossing the reader will not want to stop reading for anything even sleep.  For readers that love romantic suspense this is one book not to miss.  The plot stays with the reader long after they put the book down.  This is another great story from an author that is proving to have ability to both thrill and chill readers.

I give this one 5 red roses

LRH

Soulless

Soulless by Toni Hofman

Publisher: Toni Hofman

October 2013

ISBN: 9781492111849

Pages: 274

Contemporary, Paranormal Romance

Alexis “Alex” Martinez is a detective for the Fairfield Police Department and she is after an extremely brutal killer that has managed to hold the city in the grip of terror.  The victims are tortured and unspeakably mutilated and picked completely at random.  As Alex investigates the killings she is brought to the attention of a secret society that has members imbedded in law enforcement, world governments and all walks of life.  Their objective is stay hidden and when the investigation takes Alex too close to them she becomes a target.  There is only one person who can save her but he is also the assassin that has been sent to kill her.  He is the one that has already infiltrated her mind and heart, and he just might be the one she has been chasing all along.

David Jason Sawyer has the face of angel but is a predator.  His mind is a weapon that is just as formidable as his body.  He is a prince of the secret society that seems to be the next step in man’s evolution.  Also known to those of the society as Family.  They consume bio-energy directly because their physiology has evolved to that point.  They age at a remarkably decelerated rate and they are stronger than normal humans.  They have an extraordinary ability to heal so they are almost invincible.  They also need humans to feed on so that they can survive.

Since he was a child Sawyer has been trained to manipulate and entrap on reflex.  He was taught to put emotion second and Family first.  Yet in one moment he spares Alex the woman he has fallen in love with and now they are both a danger to his people and one Family will not tolerate.

If Alex and David are to have a chance at survival they must join forces and stay one step ahead of an army that is invisible until it is too late.

This is a very different paranormal.  It takes the concept of vampires and gives it a twist that is very intriguing.  The story takes many twists and turns that keeps the reader on their toes as they try to figure out just what will happen next and who Alex and David can trust.  It is a story that stays with the reader long after they put it down.  The characters have the fallacy that all people do and that makes them very authentic. The characters are complex which really brings the story to life and pulls the reader into the book.  For readers that love paranormal romances this is one to check out. 

I give this one 4 red roses

LRH

Sentinels: Lynx Destiny

Sentinels: Lynx Destiny by Doranna Durgin

Publisher: Harlequin

February 2014

ISBN: 978-0-373-88589-3

Pages: 304

Contemporary, Romance, Sacramento Mountains, New Mexico  

Regan Adler has to return to her family’s cabin in the Sacramento Mountains though she is determined to keep her visit very brief.  Her mother was driven crazy by the voices she heard there.  Now those same voices are threatening to do the same to Regan.  She can’t ignore them either.  Then she meets Kai Faulkers.

Kai Faulkers is a lone lynx shape shifter.  He knows danger is coming and he must protect his home no matter what the cost.  When he hears Regan’s sultry voice he is thrown into a new world of passion and desire.  Now the stakes are higher than ever.  Kai and Regan must fight for what they hold dear if they want a chance to survive what is coming.

This is a great story that is different than most shape shifter stories.  The plot is engrossing and the characters are very engaging.  The story comes alive for the reader and they can get lost in the story as each scene unfolds.  This is part of series but can easily be read as a stand alone.  The story explains the world behind it very well so that the reader never feels lost in learning about the world that this series is based in.  It will also have readers looking for the other books in the series to learn more and to have a chance to enjoy more in this series.

I give this one 4 red roses

LRH

Do or Die

Do or Die Reluctant Heroes by Suzanne Brockmann

Publisher: Ballantine Books

February 2014

ISBN: 978-0-345-54379-0

Pages: 576

Contemporary Romance, Florida

Ian Dunn has the world believing that he went rogue in a very big way by turning his talents to the lawless life with con jobs and jewel heists. In reality the former Navy SEAL and Special Ops warrior is leading a band of freelance operatives that still fight for good by fighting in highly unofficial ways. That makes Ian the perfect choice hands down for an operation that the government needs done but can’t be attached to because of it being a breach of a heavily guarded embassy.  A couple of children have been kidnapped by their father who is a sinister foreign national that will do anything to get what he wants even if that is turning his own children into casualties. Surprising everyone Ian turns the mission down for reasons he refuses to divulge.

Phoebe Kruger is Ian’s new attorney that refuses to take no for an answer. She is determined to get the children free and is able to get Ian on board. She also insists on riding shotgun with Ian on his Mission: Impossible style operation. Whether Ian likes it or not.

Phoebe is proving to have a knack for getting out of tight spots. What Ian and Phoebe don’t count on is their intense attraction to each other. As the team gears up to get done what needs to be taken care of Ian and Phoebe’s emotions grow stronger. They need to control their feelings for each other if they want a chance to survive a wealthy psychopath who loves both money and murder and a mob boss that is very vindictive and he has Ian on the top of his hit list. Playing lethal games of deception and dodging death squads Phoebe and Ian are determined to save the innocent children and take care of the guilty.

This is a book that starts off fast and doesn’t stop for anything. The action is intense and engrossing and keeps the story moving along at a very fast pace. With all the cons going on it keeps the reader enthralled and not wanting to put it down for any reason. The characters are engaging and sympatric and help the story come to life. With the twists and turns the story takes the reader is never completely sure what will happen next or just where they will end up. This one takes readers for a ride they will never forget. The secondary characters play just as big a part as the hero and heroine and this one does not disappoint. It will also have readers eagerly waiting to see just where this series will end up going.

I give this one 5 red roses

LRH

Captured by Three

Captured by Three: Mating Season 2 by April Andrews

Publisher: Twisted Erotica Publishing

December 2013

Pages: 78

Futuristic, Romance, m/m

Lucas is the last the scientist on Earth. He is also set to enter the old lands so that he can find enough fuel to save his people.  He has the aliens, Ayden, Regil and Danth as escorts in his mission.  The aliens have come to save his people but he is afraid that there is more to it and it seems he was correct in that assumption.  Ayden, Regil and Danth are proving to be both brooding and strong and they are turning Lucas’ world upside down.

Ayden, Regil and Danth are a mated trio. They also thought they were complete until they meet Lucas and they realize that something is missing in their relationship.  Something about Lucas calls to them.

Lucas isn’t sure what to make of the aliens as they are like nothing he has dealt with before.  They also treat him in a way that confuses him.  Ayden, Regil and Danth realize that the only way to figure out if Lucas can complete them is to take him to their bed even if that means capturing him body, heart and soul. 

This is proving to be a very good series that is different than most alien stories.  While the reader would get the most out of reading the books in order they are written in such a way that they can be read as stand alones.  This one keeps in the same vein as the first story but proves to have its own story line which makes it very enjoyable to read.  The characters are intriguing and fascinating.  With every word read the world building in the story comes to life and gives the reader a glimpse on what can happen.  For readers of this genre this is a series to check out.

I give this 4-1/2 red roses

LRH