With No Remorse - Cindy Gerard

Synopsis:
Black Ops, Inc. operative Luke – Doc Holliday – Colter is taking some much needed down-time, making his way across the Peruvian Andes via rail, when banditos attack the moving train in the midnight hours. It soon becomes apparent that robbery is not their intent but the abduction of super model Valentina, who is traveling incognito while recovering from a public scandal involving her ex-husband, high profile US Senator, Marcus Chamberlin. Luke whisks Valentina off the train in a daring escape but the two of them become the targets of a relentless manhunt. Enlisting the aid of Luke's BOI teammates, they soon discover that Val’s intended abduction is linked to a plot put in play by an international gun smuggling alliance. The BOI team led by Luke, with Val along as a necessary pawn, must race halfway around the world to thwart a ruthless attack that would not only result in a devastating loss of life but destroy a tenuous peace the US and her allies have established in a vastly unstable part of the world.

In My Own Words:
While traveling back to HQ from his working vacation, Luke "Doc" Coulter's train is hijacked by men that seem to be looking for someone specific.  When Doc helps a young man escape, he is relieved to have lived once again from another disaster.  When meeting up with the "young man" he realizes his mistake instantly.  This was no boy, this was Valentina, the woman of his boy-hood and adult fantasies.  While trying to get Val to safety, a plot is discovered in the dreaded Sierra Leone, the one place none of the team wants to be but all must go.  The place where Bryan Tompkins was killed, and it is looking like by the same people that are looking for Val.  When all hell breaks loose, all Val can do is wait and hope that Luke will be, once again, her white knight.

Notable Quote:
"You had me at potato."

Rating:
I have been waiting for Doc's story for a very long time, and I wasn't disappointed.  The only complaint I have is that the first 50 or so pages were a little slow for me to get through, especially considering how fast paced the BOI books have been in the past.  Once the dialogue picked up and the background was in place, the book was extremely enjoyable.  This book has it all, action, adventure, hot steamy sex, an ex-homosexual husband, and of course, the entire BOI team.  I have bittersweet feeling about the next book, as it will be the last but I am so thankful that Steph and Joe get their own book.

Fatal Consequences - Marie Force

Synopsis:
Lieutenant Sam Holland has no sooner accepted Senator Nick Cappuano's proposal than she's back on the job. A woman has been found brutally murdered and evidence points to Henry Lightfeather, a senator and close friend of Nick's. While Sam investigates, Nick stands by his friend—complicating his own bid for reelection, and causing tension between the couple.

As Sam's investigation reveals a scandal that rocks the capital, Nick and Sam discover that the biggest threat to their future might be someone from her past...

In My Own Words:
When we last left Sam and Nick, Sam had just accepted Nick's proposal for marriage, but if you think we are talking happily ever after, you are soooo mistaken.  While attending Sam's dad's wedding to his long time caregiver, Sam gets a call that she is needed on a murder investigation.  While investigating the murder, she uncovers a second murder, but when one of her own is attacked as a message to her, it becomes very personal.  Soon, the evidence begins to point to some that are higher up in the government and you can almost hear her dance in glee at the prospect of cleaning house.

Notable Quote:  (there were so many great quotes it was hard to pick just one)
"No. Fun and sweet and nice is not enough to build a relationship on."....."It's more than Nick started with. There's nothing nice or sweet about you"  (Sam and Freddie)

Review:
I am not so sure that the news is great for Mrs. Force.  I don't know how she is going to top this one.  Fatal Consequences was my favorite of the series so far, and really that is saying a lot since I have loved the first 2 immensely.  It was so great to see some of the other charters get more story in this one, cause I am totally smitten with Gonzo and Christina.  I really enjoyed getting to know Scotty and I have high hopes as to where that relationship heads.  The action is great, the characters are lovable and the relationships are hot.  I would highly recommend this book and series to anyone who enjoys romantic suspense.

Ready - Lucy Monroe

Book Blurb:
Writer Lise Barton is used to coming up with wild scenarios for her characters, but the one that's playing out for her right now is no fiction. Someone is stalking her, someone who knows where she lives and what she does-who's even threatened her family. To protect them, she packs up and leaves Texas for the anonymity of Seattle-where it starts all over again.

Joshua Watt's mission is simple: Bring Lise home for Thanksgiving or he'll never hear the end of it from his sister. He's spent months trying to forget the taste of her lips, but the minute he sees the fear in Lise's eyes, the former Army Ranger takes control. His mission: Protect Lise and try to keep his personal feelings out of it. Because if there's one thing he's learned, it's that sex and work don't mix. So far.

In My Own Words:
Ready is the first book in a trilogy about the 3 Brothers in Arms that were Ranger buddies in the Army, turned mercenary. While running to Seattle from a crazed stalker, Lise tries putting her life back together.  But when the stalking seems to be escalating when he threatens her family, she decides it is time to take drastic measures.  She decides it is time to cut her family off and not attend the family get-together for the holiday.  When Joshua gets a call from his sister that Lise has decided not to attend the festivities, he believes it is his fault and makes it his mission to convince her to return to Texas for the holiday.  When he arrives at Lise's apartment, he immediately realizes, she is terrified and not of him.  He convinces her to fill him in on all of the stalking and he takes over her security in that moment.  Joshua (Wolf) calls in his fellow mercenary buddies that all severed in the US Army as Rangers together.  As a team, they set out to trap this stalker and make him wish he had another hobby.  The one thing about this mission that Joshua isn't sure about, is if he will be able to keep his hot blooded hands off of Lise until the end of the assignment.

Notable Quote:
"When I'm with you, I forget my own name."  (confession from Wolf)

Rating:
Ready was an adrenaline rush for me.  I liked not only getting to see Lise and Joshua's plans but also getting a glimpse in to the life of the villain.  The chemistry between Lise and Joshua was evident from the very beginning and was great watching them both fight it then finally give in.  Getting to meet Hotwire, Nitro and Josie was great too.  Just catching little snippets  about Josie and Nitro made me eager for their story, those two are going to be explosive.  And Hotwire's southern charm was cute and had the desired affect of putting Lise at ease.  The camaraderie the three men have was inspiring.  My only gripe with this book was the take down of the stalker was kind of anti-climatic.  We were rushing throughout the whole book to stay ahead of him and then....bam, he was taken down without a fight or anything.  Just seemed a little to perfect.  Otherwise, I was engaged the whole time.  Can't wait for Willing the next in this series.

Savor the Danger - Lori Foster

Book Blurb:
She may be aloof, and more pretty than gorgeous, but Alani Rivers is the kind of woman a hot-blooded mercenary can't forget, no matter how hard he tries. So when Jackson Savor wakes up next to the naked, sleeping beauty—with no memory of what happened— he knows he's been drugged…even if Alani doesn't.

After she was kidnapped, Alani vowed never to trust another man again. Still, something about this strong, sexy hero with the tender touch makes her want to believe him. As Jackson hunts down a mysterious intruder, he swears he'll move heaven and earth to keep Alani safe. But what really happened that night? And will the truth bring them closer than they ever thought possible—or put Alani squarely in harm's way again?

My own words:
This is the 3rd book in Lori's "Men that walk the edge of honor" series. Jackson Savor, an out-spoken, cocky, sexy and extremely alpha male has had a thing for Alani since meeting her; when he wakes up with her naked wrapped in his arms, he is certainly surprised but has no memory whatsoever of how she ended up there.  Alani is completely shattered when she sees Jackson’s reaction after what she believed to be a wonderful night; with him running to the bathroom to be sick and having what appeared to be regret in his eyes, she does the bolt, feeling extremely emotional and vulnerable. What she didn’t know is Jackson had been drugged.  Jackson and Alani go on a wild ride to figure out who is trying to kill them, and why.  Can Jackson finally convince Alani to take a chance on him?

Notable Quote:
..."I'd die for her, if it came to that."
"And then she would be left unprotected." Trace put a finger to Jackson's chest.  "So no dying."

Rating:
I have loved each book in this series but Jackson is by far my favorite! I loved his sexy and at times humorous dialogue, he is a smooth talking cowboy who was hot hot hot! I loved the way he protected Alani but was still hard-edged when it mattered, they were wonderful together & the sexy scenes were great.  I enjoyed the suspense and the romance scenes and getting to meet new characters. The story moved at a quick and even pace, with an interesting and enjoyable plot.  I like when you read a series and get to see glimpses of past characters, kind of like catching up with old friends, Trace & Priss, Dare and Molly as well as Chris who I think is fantastic all make an appearance. Since all was wrapped up by the end except Arizona and Spencer, I am hoping they will be the H/H in the next book, which I am eagerly awaiting.

Angel's Rest - Emily March

Book Blurb:
Gabriel Callahan has lost everything that mattered. All he wants is solitude on an isolated mountain estate. Instead, he gets a neighbor. Vibrant, no-nonsense Nic Sullivan is Eternity Springs’ veterinarian, and she has an uncanny plan to lure this talented architect back to the world of the living. First with a dog, next with a renovation project, and, finally, with a night of passion that ends with a surprise.

Now a man still raw from tragedy must face the biggest struggle of his heart. Can he forgive himself and believe in the power of second chances? Dare he trust in the promise of a future and a brand-new family here in Eternity Springs?

My own words:

Angel's Rest is the first in the Eternity Springs series.  Gabe is staying at his friend's house in Eternity Springs to help himself regroup after the loss of his wife and son.  When Gabe feels that he can no longer go on, and it is time to end his own suffering, he is stopped in the middle of taking his own life by a goofy boxer dog that Gabe can't help but smile at.  A few days later, this same boxer is caught in a bear trap, thus enters the town vet, Nic.  Gabe brings the dog to Nic to fix him up, but is strangely drawn to this new stranger.  Meanwhile, the town of Eternity Springs is in serious trouble, the town pitches together to bring it back and add more tourism, but for that to happen, Nic has to convince Gabe he is the right man for the job and that the town needs him.  As the project gets under way, Nic and Gabe form an easy friendship, and Gabe starts to heal.  When Christmas rolls around, Gabe and Nic are caught in a night of passion that neither of them will forget because....surprise, here comes baby.  Gabe, not sure that he can ever give his heart again, gives Nic the only thing he can, his name.  Will Gabe ever let himself fully heal so that he can love again?  Will Nic have the patience to heal the man she loves before she enters the delivery room?

Notable Quote:

"You look like you are trying to sneak a beach ball in to a rock concert, only you didn't get the memo to bring the inflatable kind"...."A really big beachball."  (got to love kids, so completely honest)

Review:

I really liked this story.  At times the storyline was a bit whimsy for my taste, almost took one an angelic feel, like the author wanted you to believe in fairy tales, but it wasn't the main focus of the story.  The main characters were great, Gabe was so broken and was looking for something he didn't know he was needing and Nic was so battered from a recent betrayal and old daddy wounds.  The secondary characters were delightful.  It was so nice to meet so many townsfolk and get a "feel" for Eternity Springs.  The camaraderie and friendships had a Virgin River (Robyn Carr) feel.  This book had it all, an epic love story, a mystery by way of a 100 year old dead bride, and a town banding together to make their town great again.

You Belong to Me - Karen Rose

Synopsis:
Baltimore city Homicide Detective J.D. Fitzpatrick has seen a lot of violence but nothing like the trail of tortured bodies that are turning up throughout the city. And now he's starting to suspect that his medical examiner, Dr. Lucy Trask, may be shielding a dark secret that could connect her to these vicious killings-and put her next on the killer's hit list...

Review:
While out for her morning jog, Dr. Lucy Trask comes across a dead body, but not just any dead body, the body of her close friend and father figure...or so she thinks.  The body is horribly dismembered and it isn't until closer inspection that Lucy realized that this isn't actually her good friend after all, but someone wanted her to think it was, but why?  New homicide detective, JD Fitzpatrick, isn't sure how Lucy fits in to this murder but he knows she is the key.  When the bodies start to pile up, Lucy has to head back to the one place on earth she had hoped to never return, her home town.  Going home is painful and humiliating for Lucy but JD is supportive and reassuring and Lucy finds her walls of steel start to lower and allow JD a glimpse of who she is and where she is from.  As the pieces of the puzzle start to fall together, the attraction that Lucy and JD share seems almost impossible to set aside.  Both JD and Lucy have their fair share of secrets...will they finally trust someone, each other, to finally help them move on?  How is this killer connected to Lucy, her brother and her hometown?

Notable Quote:
"Who needs fancy police databases when we have Facebook and a phone?"  (you never know what you can find when you check out facebook lol)

Rating:
This was my first Karen Rose book, but definitely not my last.  This was a true suspense book that kept me guessing until all of the clues were finally released.  The chemistry between JD & Lucy was evident in their first meeting.  The secondary characters were just as enjoyable to get to know as the main characters.  I am completely intrigued with Thorne, and I sincerely hope he gets his own story, I would love to read about him more.  The small town politics that played out in the book, were dead on.  Being from a small town, it was like....justice.  Lucy has several secrets in her past and her current life, I was pleasantly surprised at each turn of the page.  I would recommend this to anyone who loves a good suspense murder mystery.  In the comments at the end of the story, Ms. Rose mentions, this is the start of a new series...YAY!