The Devil Wears Plaid

In Teresa Medeiros's The Devil Wears Plaid, this historical romance will have you swept off your feet and dare to fall in love. For Emmaline Marlowe, she was set to marry the Earl of Hepburn in a marriage of convenience, since her father was deep in debt. Before she could say I do, her wedding was interrupted by Jamie Sinclair, who came riding on his horse and abducted her. From there, both Jamie and Emma got to know each other, while she was held captive as he plotted his revenge against the Hepburns. He vowed vengeance on his late parents' death, since the elder Hepburn didn't want to do anything with him.  For Emma, she had tempted to escape, but Jamie would come after her.  Within time and withstanding the elements in the wilderness, they had gotten close to each other and learned more about him and his merry men.  Though Emma was sick and tired of doing what her parents told her to do, she planned to throw caution to the wind and have Jamie gave her one night of bliss with her. But as he sent a ransom to the Hepburn castle on something more valuable than her, things got dicey in the exchange, when Emma was struck by a bullet. As he tended to her medical needs, he had learned the stone-cold truth about what happened to his parents and his own heritage that would shock the world. And with her own plot to stop the Hepburns in their tracks, she would put her heart on the line for the one person she loves.

This was an enticing and scintillating historical romance that would make you fall in love with this novel and be daring on your own. I cared for Emma and how she survived and endured a lot while being Jamie's hostage. I've found her tenacious and bold as well, when she had finally took a stand.  I did feel sorry for Jamie's wrath and angst on the Hepburns, when he had sought after the truth for so long. I did love the dual locations of England and Scotland's Highlands that had made the setting irresistibly eye-popping to come to life. This would make you want to sway and soon, whistle and sigh, take a deep breath and feel warm all over with non-stop action, drama, tons of sweet romance, and plenty of intrigue on every page.

Will you take a chance and read the Devil Wears Plaid tonight?

Gale Force

In Owen Laukkanen's Gale Force, this standalone novel delivers an action-packed thriller sets on the water. For McKenna Rhodes, she mourned the loss of her father and takes the helm of his beloved ship. With little experience of steering a ship, she had called the people that she knows to help her sail across the ocean to Alaska. But straight ahead lies danger in the midst, when there was a sunken ship she needed to salvage, she had been denied requests for help. Besides there, there's an evil Japanese man who would do anything to get his hands on a briefcase of money. From the Pacific Lion to the Gale Force, he stowed away on the ship to get closer and do away with the obstacles that stood in his way. In this high-seas adventure, McKenna would have to set sail with smooth waters to arrive at her destination in a fight to a finish ending for a gripping ending.

This was an intriguing stand-alone thriller that differed from his serial thrillers.  If anyone likes military or thriller series set on the water, this would be one for you. I cared for McKenna and how she took charge of the Gale Force in full force. She dealt with a lot of danger on the high seas and also on the boat itself. I did find Court Harrington a bit charming and curious, while her crew made out a stand-out cast of characters who bared their own weight. I loved the various scenic locations on the trip to Alaska and the compelling settings that pulled it together. This would suck you in for a wild ride and hold on tight with non-stop action, drama, suspense, and plenty of intrigue.

Will you be reading to ride the Gale Force tonight?

Close My Eyes

In Sophie McKenzie's Close My Eyes, this thriller has so many twisted turns that you would never believe. You better buckle up for this emotional and heart-wrenching non-stop roller coaster ride. Eight years ago, Geniver Loxley had lost her daughter "Beth" as a stillborn with a genetic disease. She still mourns the loss of her child. But when Lucy O'Donnell came to her door to drop a literal bombshell on her doorstep, her world had changed and flipped over upside down. That made Gen ask questions on what she was told and had believed. Her best friend Hen told her to get over it, her husband Art told her to back off. And when Lorcan Byrne, a former friend of her husband arrives at his surprise birthday party, he became more of an ally to her, when no one wanted to help. People thought she was crazy and insane; and when she was threatened and mugged to back off, she didn't take things literally and pursued this line of inquiry. The closer the truth she gets, the more she believes her daughter is alive and disbelieves the more lies her husband had told her from the start. In a final showdown, she learns who's responsible for it all and fights for her life.

This was a gripping and dark thriller that would make your head spin. I really cared for Gen and how she was emotionally tormented about secrets and lies for so many years. She didn't know who to trust, not even her own best friend. I've found Morgan a sick woman and Art a pathetic and cruel man. They had gotten what they had deserved and then some. I loved the vast locations that had taken place in London and elsewhere with beautiful eye-popping scenery. This would make you shake your head, wince, numb all over, and shaken at the end with non-stop action, drama, intense suspense, and lots of hard-core mystery.

Will your check out Close My Eyes today?

Sit, Stay, Love

In Debbie Burns's Sit, Stay, Love, the second installment in the Rescue Me contemporary romance series, this heart-warming romance novel would make you fall in love and cry. For Kelsey Sutton, she works in a rescue shelter in St. Louis area and seeks the approval of her parents. But when news broke out about a dog fighting ring, it was up to her and her supervisor Megan to bring them into a huge mansion, the estate of Sabrina Raven, to take them in and to tend to them. But that had brought an uproar from protestors who wanted them to be euthanized. That's when she met Kurt Crawford, a veteran of the armed forces, who's looking for a fresh start after finishing his latest tour of duty. When a friend of him asked him to help him out, he debated around the issue and then took the plunge. His life changed when he met Kelsey, while he reconnected with his mother and grandmother, and made a world of difference to Mr Longtail and a bunch of dogs. Together, they formed a stronghold bond and had feelings for each other, when they cared for their dogs and rehabbed them before they would find new homes.  In an instant, a love blossomed and transformed before them to give them a happy ending of their own.

This was so beautiful and wonderfully written. I love pet rescue stories of all kinds. I cared for Kelsey and how she took charge of the big responsibility to rehab all of those pets and devoting her love to each and every one including Pepper, the Rottweiler. I also cared for Kurt, since he was a bit diverse with his ADHD, and had some Spanish heritage in his blood. I also loved that there was Patrick, who has Aspergers and could be a handful with his stats and a big help sometimes. I loved the Oregon backdrop and the wonderful locations and beautiful settings of the St. Louis background. This would make you sigh, grab a hanky, fall in love with animals and take one of them home with romance, drama, some non-stop action, and plenty of puppy love.

Will you rescue one today in Sit, Stay, Love?

Find Her

In Lisa Gardner's Find Her, the 8th installment in the Detective D.D. Warren thriller series, this dark and twisted tale would keep you hooked right from the first page. When Detective D.D. Warren arrived a phone call about a burned body at the crime scene, she had gotten her first glance at Florence "Flora" Dane, who was a person of interest. But things aren't what they seem to be, when she discovered why she had burned Devon Goulding's body and what lurked as the truth. As a detective on restricted duty due to a shoulder injury and a mother and wife, she dug into Goulding's background and leaned about a trail of three missing women. But as Flora disappears from her apartment, it had shed a new light of another shady kidnapping. For Flora, she became Jacob Ness's first kidnapped victim for four long years and survived enough to endure his sick and sadistic wrath. As she was abducted once again, she relived that gruesome nightmare until she killed the SOB that had set her free. But as DD connects the dots between the missing girls, she leans more about Flora's days in captivity. As Flora tries to survives and finds Stacy Summers, the recent missing girl, her newest nightmare had started as its reared its ugly head. And now it's a race of time for her to survive and be free about those inner demons for good.

This was a dark and gripping new thriller from Lisa Gardner. I cared for both D.D. and how she balanced her job and family life, while she was on restricted duty. I became intrigued on how she made the connections from start to finish between Flora's past and now her present status. I did feel concerned for Flora and how she struggled, endured and survived four years of torture, only when she became focused with a new danger of her own. I hoped she could put the past to rest and live in the future. I loved the Florida and the Boston dual locations and gripping settings to mesh the interwoven flashbacks with the storyline. This would leave you feeling numb and shaking all over with non-stop drama, suspense, intense action, and plenty of intrigue to keep you at the edge of your seat.

Will you be able to find her before it's too late?

Zipper Fall

In Kate Pavelle's Zipper Fall, the second installment in the Steel City man/man romance series, this love story is like no other. When Wyatt Gaudens's best friend Reyna was having trouble at work with her boss, he had to check him out for himself. Besides working in a PR firm, he climbs buildings and steels things for his hobby. But when he had broken into his building, he became attracted to Jack Azzurri. And their romance wasn't like any other, when he had feelings for him. Needless to say, it also had gotten him fired, when he was caught in the act. And his best friend took his spot to work for former boss. After he had made an interesting proposal to Auguste Pillory of sending him small firm clients, a deal had been made between them with no hard feelings. But as they had gotten to know each other, even in a most intimate way, he learned about Jack's sister Celia who had died from a climbing accident. That led Wyatt to do his own investigation and put some heat on who had killed her, supposedly from her own workplace. While all this, he had gotten into hot heated trouble with a robbery and shot in a most painful way. That's when Jack learned about how hurt Wyatt had been with his own family and then with his former lover who tended to his injuries. In the end, they trusted each other and found a true love that can't be found elsewhere.

I have to admit, I never read man-man romance before. It's not my cup of tea either. I thought the title had to do with climbing, in which it did for part of the story, but not the subtle overtones of this kind of romance. And I believe this was okay with me for now. As for the story, I did care for Wyatt and his growing infatuation for Jack and his dangerous hobby of his. I did feel bad for Jack, who grieved the loss of his sister from a tragic accident. But I did like how they came together as a couple. I also found Reyna quite compelling too.  I did like the Pittsburgh location vivid from the gym to the workplace and beyond for the scenic settings. This would make you look at things from a whole different way and prospective. If you liked Brokeback Mountain, you would like these kinds of storie with non-stop action, drama, some romance and some suspense too.

Will you be ready to drop down and read Zipper Fall today?

Lord of the Pies

In Nell Hampton's Lord of the Pies, the second installment in the Kensington Palace Chef Cozy Mystery, this caper was a bit warped and twisted in every sense of the word. For Chef Carrie Ann Cole, her new life brimmed with new mysteries on her full plate. When she received a new assistant chef named Agnes, she appeared to fit right in and work with Carrie Ann to serve meals to the duchess and the prince at the place. First she had to contend with a Peeping Tom who took her photo. And when she discovered it was, she reported it in to Security Chief Gordon. And when she had the opportunity to serve a bridal shower at the Orangery, she had to contend with Chef Wright, someone who has the way with the ladies. But besides all that, she found out who spied on her and how he was poisoned with one of her pies. And that leaves her as the prime suspect once again. Then, she competed on a reality cooking show for charity, and things turn up awry, when her arch-nemesis ended up poisoned somehow. Carrie Ann believes something was fishy with the production crew, since she's been the main focus with the British tabloids. Lastly, while she skated on thin ice, she came across the slain body of Chef Wright. Now it was up to her to deal with the possibilities of one or two killers who wanted to do her in as she fought for her own life.

This was another great story set in Kensington Palace in the heart of London. I cared for Carrie Ann and how she dealt with everyone that's been thrown at her... like a potential love triangle between her, Ian and Jasper. My oh my! I'm so pleased on how she had grown into her new life in London and how she worked well with Agnes and how she dealt with her own life issues. I still think Penny is a hoot and doesn't deserve to have Evie and Rachel as her friends. I continued to love the English locations and the vast settings inside and outside of the palace. This would make you dig deep into delicious recipes and have a taste of your own with shocking twists right to the end of the novel with non-stop action, drama, intrigue and a dollop of mystery with a sprinkle of romance.

Will you be checking out the Lord of the Pies today?