Book Review (398): Keep Me Safe (Slow Burn #1) - Maya Banks

Keep Me Safe (Slow Burn #1)

by Maya Banks 

Publication: 7th October 2014

Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks

Pages: 256

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Age Appropriate: Adult

Buy It: Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk/ Barnes and Noble / KOBO / The Book Depository

A sizzling story of a woman who risks her life and her heart to find a wealthy man’s missing sister—the first novel in a sexy new romantic suspense series from #1 New York Times bestselling author Maya Banks

When Caleb Devereaux's younger sister is kidnapped, this scion of a powerful and wealthy family turns to an unlikely source for help: a beautiful and sensitive woman with a gift for finding answers others cannot.

While Ramie can connect to victims and locate them by feeling their pain, her ability comes with a price. Every time she uses it, it costs her a piece of herself. Helping the infuriatingly attractive and impatient Caleb successfully find his sister nearly destroys her. Even though his sexual intensity draws her like a magnet, she needs to get as far away from him as she can.

Deeply remorseful for the pain he’s caused, Caleb is determined to make things right. But just when he thinks Ramie's vanished forever, she reappears. She’s in trouble and she needs his help. Now, Caleb will risk everything to protect her—including his heart. . . .

My Thoughts.

Keep Me Safe is the first book in Maya Banks' brand new series Slow Burn.

A romantic suspense story, about a woman named Ramie St Claire, who is an empath able to get psychic readings off items belonging to people, over many years she has helped Police find many kidnapped people using her gift, but it has taken it's toll, with her ability she not only sees what every violent thing the victim endures but she feels them as well just as if she was the one being hurt.

Ramie who is on the brink of a nervous breakdown, suffering debilitating panic attacks hides herself away in an isolated cabin far away from everyone, but that doesn't stop Caleb Devereaux from discovering where she is, desperate for her help to find his kidnapped sister Tori, and without taking no for an answer he shoves Tori's scarf into her hands not understanding the repercussions of what it will do to Ramie in her fragile state, vowing to come back and help her once his sister is rescued, he returns only to find she has fled.

A year later and Ramie is on the run from a psychopathic killer who is stalking her and who has a psychic link to her as well, she seeks out the help of Caleb who owes her for the whereabouts of his sister, taking her into his home to protect her, they soon tentively start a relationship and while this seemed to be a case of insta-love, they still made a cute couple.

But it's not long until her stalker discovers her whereabouts and starts playing cat and mouse games, determined to get to Ramie no matter what it takes.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story, the plot was fast-paced and full of action, with a host of intriguing and likeable characters, this is one book that will leave you hard pressed not to finish in one sitting.

Maya has captured the atmosphere, stress and tension of someone in this kind of environment and encapsulated it perfectly, this was my first book I've ever read of hers but it sure won't be the last!

I give this 4/5 stars.

My name is Maya Banks and I live in Texas with my husband and three children and our assortment of pets. I’m more of a cat person, but my daughter became convinced she NEEDED a dog. So convinced in fact that it became her mission to convince her father and me. She prepared a two page handwritten proposal that detailed WHY she needed a dog, and well, after I sent her to her father (I knew he wouldn’t tell her no) we embarked on the search for the perfect dog. The journey that was two hours away and that I got pulled over for speeding while I was on the phone with my agent who had an offer from a publisher for one of my books… The officer wasn’t impressed. He wrote me a ticket anyway. Thus, I now tell my daughter that her dog turned into one very expensive concession! But isn’t he cute?

When I’m not writing, I love to hunt and fish with my family. We all love the outdoors and go on family hunting trips every year. We also love to travel. One of our more recent trips was to Scotland, which was every bit as comical as National Lampoon’s European Vacation. You know the part about “Look kids, Big Ben, Parliament” as they went round and round the roundabouts? Yeah, that was us, only we couldn’t even get out of the airport in Glasgow without hitting three of those suckers.

Perhaps the most rewarding aspect of a writing career is getting to meet so many wonderful readers. There’s nothing better than dishing books with someone who loves the romance genre as much as I do. Romance readers are passionate and vocal. We love our books, love our happily ever afters, and we love to spend time talking to others about our favorites. THIS is why I love my job so much, and I’m so grateful to readers who gave ME a chance when I began my career. So thank you.

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(ARC) Book Review (397): This Is How It Ends - Jen Nadol

This Is How It Ends

by Jen Nadol

Publication: 7th October 2014

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Pages: 320

Genre: Mystery

Age Appropriate: Young Adult

Buy It: Pre-order on Amazon, Barnes & Noble or find through Indie Bound.

This Is How It Ends on Goodreads.

If you could see the future, would you want to? After the disturbing visions Riley and his friends see turn out to be more than hallucinations, fate takes a dangerous twist in this dark and suspenseful page-turner.

Riley and his friends are gearing up for their senior year by spending one last night hanging out in the woods, drinking a few beers, and playing Truth or Dare. But what starts out as a good time turns sinister when they find a mysterious pair of binoculars. Those who dare to look through them see strange visions, which they brush off as hallucinations. Why else would Riley see himself in bed with his best friend’s girlfriend—a girl he’s had a secret crush on for years?

In the weeks that follow, the visions begin to come true...including a gruesome murder. One of Riley’s closest friends is now the prime suspect. But who is the murderer? Have Riley and his friends really seen the future through those mysterious binoculars? And what if they are powerless to change the course of events?

My Thoughts.

This Is How It Ends is a mystery with a paranormal slant, focusing on a pair of binoculars that seems to show the future.

When a group of friends: Riley, Trip, Sarah, Natalie and Tannis find the binoculars they never expect that what they each see while looking through them would ever actually happen, especially when Riley sees himself in bed with his best friend Trip's girlfriend Sarah, who also happens to be Riley's crush, knowing that he'd never betray Trip like that, with none of them willing to believe what they were shown they think nothing more of it until Natalie's Dad is murdered just like she saw in the binoculars, and when she becomes a suspect her friends band together to find the real murderer.

Within this story we have two mysteries, one of the murder and the other of the unexplainable future visions that the binoculars have shown them all.

While I did enjoy this story, it wasn't anything spectacular, it is a quick read though and is a good book to read if you have time to spare.

I wasn't a big fan of the ending, and I just wish that it hadn't been left the way it was, leaving the readers with questions that were never answered.

I give this 3/5 stars.

Jen Nadol grew up in Reading, Pennsylvania and graduated from American University with a BA in literature. She's lived in Washington DC, Boston, NYC and now, an old farmhouse north of the city with her husband and three sons. When she's not writing, she's probably tending to the farmhouse or the sons, reading, cooking, skiing, or sleeping.

You can find her online on facebook and twitter or visit her author pages at Simon & Schuster, Bloomsbury, Amazon and Goodreads.

Book Review (396): The Fall - Bethany Griffin

The Fall

by Bethany Griffin 

Publication: 7th October 2014

Publisher: Greenwillow Books

Pages: 400

Genre: Horror

Age Appropriate: Young Adult

Buy It: Amazon + Barnes & Noble + The Book Depository

Madeline Usher is doomed.

She has spent her life fighting fate, and she thought she was succeeding. Until she woke up in a coffin.

Ushers die young. Ushers are cursed. Ushers can never leave their house, a house that haunts and is haunted, a house that almost seems to have a mind of its own. Madeline’s life—revealed through short bursts of memory—has hinged around her desperate plan to escape, to save herself and her brother. Her only chance lies in destroying the house.

In the end, can Madeline keep her own sanity and bring the house down?The Fall is a literary psychological thriller, reimagining Edgar Allan Poe’s classic The Fall of the House of Usher.

My Thoughts.

The Fall is based on the Edgar Allen Poe story The Fall Of The House Of Usher, while I've never read this story or anything by him at all, this book has left me intrigued enough to at some point seek out some of his works.

This was written in a jumbled way with each chapter jumping around to the main character Madeleine's various ages throughout the story, but all mixed up, we start the book when she's eighteen then move to say her ninth, then something else etc, while it was an interesting way to write the book quite often once I'd started a new chapter I'd have to go back to read how old she was in the chapter heading, so while I did end up confused at times I still really enjoyed this book.

The Usher family is cursed, especially those that inhabit The House Of Usher, the house seems to be alive and with each generation finds a favorite and does it's best to keep that person beholden in it's interiors forever, until their untimely deaths at a young age which is the fate of the Usher family legacy, that and the sickness which causes fits and the loss of any sense of time.

Madeleine has been chosen over her twin brother Roderick as the chosen heir of the house, when she was younger she believed that the house protected her, it wasn't until after Roderick is sent away to school to hopefully escape the curse that she soon realises that the house is evil, and it destroys everyone and everything that resides in it.

With the appearance of a young Dr Winston who will be assisting the other two doctors in residence at the house, it's not long till he too succumbs to the evilness that hides in the walls and Madeleine finds herself even more of a prisoner than she ever was, she plans to find a way to escape and leave the house forever, but will the house ever let her go or will she end up like all the rest of her ancestors that met a tragic end, never to leave.

I wasn't a fan of the open-ended finale to to this book, I'd rather be told by the author what happens instead of trying to figure it out myself, that is the one thing I found most disappointing about this story.

But all in all this was a creepy tale that was made even more disturbing reading it at night and hearing noises, my imagination did run wild, especially with the events that happen inside the house in this book, this would be a perfect Halloween read for those who like to scare themselves with tales like this.

Quite enjoyable.

I give this 4/5 stars.

1.	I didn’t ever really give up on writing, I just went through a long period where all I wanted to do was READ. I’d write a paragraph, read a book or two, write another paragraph. And for a long time, all of my creativity was consumed by teaching.
2.	At some point the creativity reasserted itself and I wrote Handcuffs. It was a book that I needed to write, and I still love it very much.
3.	After Handcuffs I spent some time figuring out what I wanted to write, what I could add to the world of literature that was different and unique. After several learning manuscripts, I wrote my Masque of the Red Death.
4.	It’s actually quite bizarre to see myself listed as the author of Masque of the Red Death (Poe’s story is The Masque of the Red Death).

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(ARC) Book Review (395): Mortal Gods (Goddess War #2) - Kendare Blake

Mortal Gods (Goddess War #2)

by Kendare Blake

Publication: 14th October 2014

Publisher: Tor Teen

Pages: 341

Genre: Fantasy/Mythology

Age Appropriate: Young Adult

Buy It: Amazon + Barnes & Noble + The Book Depository

Ares, God of War, is leading the other dying gods into battle. Which is just fine with Athena. She's ready to wage a war of her own, and she's never liked him anyway. If Athena is lucky, the winning gods will have their immortality restored. If not, at least she'll have killed the bloody lot of them, and she and Hermes can die in peace.

Cassandra Weaver is a weapon of fate. The girl who kills gods. But all she wants is for the god she loved and lost to return to life. If she can't have that, then the other gods will burn, starting with his murderer, Aphrodite.

The alliance between Cassandra and Athena is fragile. Cassandra suspects Athena lacks the will to truly kill her own family. And Athena fears that Cassandra's hate will get them ALL killed.

The war takes them across the globe, searching for lost gods, old enemies, and Achilles, the greatest warrior the world has ever seen. As the struggle escalates, Athena and Cassandra must find a way to work together. Because if they can't, fates far worse than death await.

My Thoughts.

I love books featuring Greek Mythology, while usually most books are retelling's of famous couples in Greek lore, this series is unique in that the Gods and Goddesses of ancient times are alive and present in the current day.

With the main focus on Athena, Hermes and Cassandra Of Troy (reincarnated in the present day), they are in the midst of war against Hera, Aphrodite, Ares and countless others I'm sure we don't know about yet.

With all of the Gods and Goddesses dying of an affliction associated with their given powers, they are hoping to find a way to stop their deaths, while at the same time not being completely sure of why this is happening.


Without giving too much away, we pick up the story after the devastating end of Antigoddess, with the addition of some new characters in Odyseuss, Achilles and Calypso to join team Athena, having the two weapons of war as they are known in Cassandra and Achilles, hope is on her side, but not everything goes to plan and we are left with a bit of a cliffhanger that will leave you desperate to get your hands on the next book.

Kendare's writing has a way of drawing you into the story and keeping you absorbed all the way to the very end.

Packed with action, suspense and vengeance this was a great instalment to this series.

An exciting and refreshing take on the Greek Mythology, this is one series that has me captivated and thirsty for more!

I give this 4/5 stars.

Kendare Blake is an import from South Korea who was raised in the United States by caucasian parents. You know, that old chestnut. She received a Bachelor’s degree in Business from Ithaca College and a Master’s degree in Writing from Middlesex University in London. She brakes for animals, the largest of which was a deer, which sadly didn’t make it, and the smallest of which was a mouse, which did, but it took forever. Amongst her likes are Greek Mythology, rare red meat and veganism. She also enjoys girls who can think with the boys like Ayn Rand, and boys who scare the morality into people, like Bret Easton Ellis. 

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(ARC) Book Review (394): Cowboy Boots For Christmas: (Cowboy Not Included) (Burnt Boot, Texas #1) - Carolyn Brown

Cowboy Boots for Christmas: (Cowboy Not Included) (Burnt Boot, Texas #1)

by Carolyn Brown

Publication: 7th October 2014

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca

Pages: 352

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Age Appropriate: Adult

Buy It: Amazon B&N GoodReads

Callie Brewster didn’t figure she’d ever see Finn O’Donnell again when they parted company in Afghanistan. But when her little brother witnesses a killing, everything changes. The government says they’ll put him in witness protection, but Callie doesn’t trust anyone to protect her brother—except for Finn O’Donnell.

All Finn wants for Christmas is some peace and quiet on his newly purchased ranch. But he owes Callie Brewster his life, and he always repays a debt. Now there’s a woman in the house who joined the army to get away from ranching, a boy who is scared of his shadow, and a feud going on amongst the other ranchers. Yet in the midst of all the chaos, Finn is happier and more at peace than he’s ever been before…

My Thoughts.

Cowboy Boots For Christmas (Cowboy Not Included) was an extremely fun and enjoyable western contemporary romance.

First book in the Burnt Boot, Texas series by Carolyn Brown, just from this book I can see that this is going to be an amazing series if this one was anything to go by.

This was my first book ever of Carolyn's, I've heard such good things about her writing. and having written and released over 40+ books I can see why she is still so popular, contemporary romance's when they're series set in small towns have become my new book obsession, I just can't seem to get enough of them!

Retired army sniper Finn has recently taken over a ranch in Burnt Boot, Texas when his partner and spotter from his army days Callie comes to him asking for help for her and her nephew Martin, once they move in it's only a matter of time before Salt Draw ranch is not only home to those three but an assortment of stray pets, kids and it's former owner Verdie who decides her retirement home is not for her, they also find themselves stuck in the middle of the town's two feuding families the Brennans and the Gallaghers, life here is never dull.

Filled with warmth, love and the joys of Christmas this is one book to get you into the holiday spirit, I will definitely be hunting down more of Carolyn's books, she's found herself a new fan.

Highly recommended, especially for those about to start picking up and reading their Christmas reads.

I give this 4/5 stars.

I am a bona-fide Tex/Okie which means I was born in Texas and raised in Oklahoma with a trip through California where I acquired a brother and a sister, albeit at the time I would have much rather had a kitten as siblings. Remember, though I was only four when we left California and moved back to Oklahoma where my mother, bless her heart, took on the job of raising three kids and holding down a job without a husband. Since I'm older, I realize now just what an undertaking that was!

Reading became a passion and I would read anything but I loved romance books. My English teacher, who was quite modern for the times and let us read anything we wanted for book reports, always gave me a good grade on my reports. But I remember one quite well that she wrote, "Why do you read this trash?" on the side. Well, Mrs. Williams, with almost 70 books published, I can now answer that question. I read that trash so that someday I could write it.

So about the time I turned 50, someone asked me, "Okay, Carolyn, what are you going to be when you grow up?" And my answer was, "Do I have to decide today?" That week I got the "call" and I sold two books after 20 years of trying to work a toe into the publishing market. Believe me, I decided right then that I would be a romance author, immediately after I got finished doing a real fancy happy dance. Two years later the imprint I was working for flat out died after publishing four of my books, but I'd moved on to Avalon books and wound up writing 44 books for them before they sold to Amazon. However, before that happened, I'd started writing cowboy romances for Sourcebooks and fell in love with all those sexy cowboys in tight fittin' jeans and Texas drawls. I'd always wanted to try my hand at women's fiction so Sourcebooks let me cross genres and give it a whirl and I loved it. Then Amazon's imprint, Montlake Romance, bought a couple of my cowboy romances.

That first call came in 1997, seventeen years ago this month, and since then I've sold 75 books and I haven't changed my mind about what I want to be when I grow up. I still plan on being a writer, only now I've branched out into women's fiction as well as romance. I've written historical series and single title romance, contemporary series and single title romance but here lately I've settled on cowboy romances and of course my new women's fiction books.

Husband has gotten used to my new venture by now and all the kids are grown and out of the nest. And believe me, nowadays I can answer the question without a single stutter when folks ask what I want to be when I grow up.

I want to be a writer. I love every minute of it.

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Book Review (393): Before You Break (Between Breaths #2) - Christina Lee

Before You Break (Between Breaths #2)

by Christina Lee 

Publication: 7th October 2014

Publisher: NAL Trade

Pages: 304

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Age Appropriate: New Adult

Buy It: Goodreads**Amazon**Barnes&Noble**Books A Million**Google Books**iBooks

New Adult sensation Christina Lee is back with a sexy and emotional tale about a bad boy on the edge and a good girl about to lose control....

A college baseball star isn’t supposed to have skeletons in his closet. But Daniel Quinn is hiding a past so dark, he refuses to let anyone get close. Except there’s something about Ella Abrams that goes beyond attraction—something that makes him want to open up.

Ella has suffered enough heartache to fill one of her psychology textbooks, but she keeps that part of herself hidden behind a bubbly exterior. Until she receives an anonymous call while working a suicide help line and the voice on the other end touches something inside of her that she can’t ignore.

Soon Ella and Quinn’s physical connection heats up, even as their revealing hotline talks intensify. But by the time Ella realizes that her seductive jock and her sensitive caller are the same guy, it might be too late to save him—or to stop herself from falling too far….

My Thoughts.

Before You Break is an emotionally sweet and at times heartbreaking contemporary romance, between two people who have lost someone close to them and blame themselves for the deaths.

Ella first notices Quinn whilst dating her no good loser boyfriend, she finds herself drawn to him and he to her, but Quinn carries a burden of guilt that has him unable to start a relationship with anyone, even Ella who he is immensely attracted to.

After the death of her brother she decides to become a psychologist and as part of her course she works at a suicide prevention hotline, it's here that she first takes a call from Daniel (which is actually Quinn) who is troubled and thinking of harming himself, Ella who answers the calls with her full name Gabrielle "Gabby" forms a connection with him, unbeknownst to each other about each's true identities.

Chemistry sizzles and sexual tension is in the air whenever these two are in the same vicinity, the romance is hot and so very well written, we have appearances from Avery and Bennett from the first book there is something here to please everyone.

This series is so good, so addictive and very enjoyable to read, I look forward to the next book in the series.

For fans of new adult contemporary romances this is one series you need to pick up.

I give this 5/5 stars.

Mother, wife, reader, dreamer. Christina lives in the Midwest with her husband and son--her two favorite guys.

She's addicted to lip gloss and salted caramel everything. She believes in true love and kissing, so writing romance novels has become a dream job.

Author of the Between Breaths series from Penguin. ALL OF YOU, BEFORE YOU BREAK and WHISPER TO ME available now, PROMISE ME THIS on October 7th, 2014.

Also Adult contemporary romance TWO OF HEARTS coming from Penguin/NAL on May 5th 2015.

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Book Review (392): Beauty And The Billionaire (Billionaire Boys Club #2) - Jessica Clare

Beauty and the Billionaire (Billionaire Boys Club #2)

by Jessica Clare 

Publication: 7th October 2014

Publisher: Berkley

Pages: 304

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Age Appropriate: Adult

Buy It: Amazon + Barnes & Noble + The Book Depository

The Billionaire Boys Club is a secret society of six men who are incredibly wealthy—but not always so successful when it comes to love…
 
Real-estate tycoon Hunter Buchanan has a dark past that’s left him scarred and living as a recluse on his family’s palatial estate. Hunter is ready to give up on love—until he spots an enigmatic red-haired beauty and comes up with an elaborate scheme to meet her.
 
Gretchen Petty is in need of a paycheck—and a change. So when a job opportunity in an upstate New York mansion pops up, she accepts. And while she can overlook the oddities of her new job, she can’t ignore her new boss’s delectable body—or his barely leashed temper.
 
Hunter’s afraid his plan might be unraveling before it’s truly begun, but Gretchen is about to show him that life can be full of surprises…

My Thoughts.

I've always been a big fan of Beauty And The Beast re-tellings when it's told with an intriguing plot and loveable characters, and this is what I got in abundance whilst reading this book.

The second book in the Billionaire Boys Club series, I adored this book, I loved it so much more than the first book.

I think that definitely had something to do with the two leads, Hunter and Gretchen, Hunter who has been horribly scarred all his life hides himself away in his mansion where no one can see his scarred face, lonely and of the believe that no woman could ever love him looking the way he does, he comes up with a plan to lure Gretchen (whom he has only ever seen from a distance) to his home for a job writing a book incorporating some old letters he acquired.

Gretchen sees the man behind the scars and seeks to make Hunter trust and to believe in her, so the flirting begins between her and this shy virgin who's very awkward when she's around, this story soon heats up and Hunter soon comes to realise that what he has wanted all his life is this woman who has given him more in the time she's been there than anyone has his whole life.

These two were the perfect couple, Hunter has such a sweet and caring soul, that he hides from the world along with his face, and Gretchen is just the woman to help him become more confidant  in himself.

This series seems to go from strength to strength, and I'm eager for the next instalment, a new favorite, Jessica knows how to write a hot and steamy romance.

I give this 5/5 stars.

Jessica Clare is a New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author who writes under three different names. As Jill Myles, she writes a little bit of everything, from sexy, comedic urban fantasy to zombie fairy tales. As Jessica Clare, she writes erotic contemporary romance.

She also has a third pen name (because why stop at two?). As Jessica Sims, she writes fun, sexy shifter paranormals. She lives in Texas with her husband, cats, and too many dust-bunnies. Jill spends her time writing, reading, writing, playing video games, and doing even more writing.

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