Review: Tailspin by Sandra Brown

Tailspin by Sandra Brown

Publication Date: August 7th 2018 by Grand Central Publishing

Pages: 424 Pages Audio book: 12 hrs 54 min

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible | Kobo

About the book:

#1 New York Times bestselling author Sandra Brown returns with a potent fusion of tantalizing suspense and romance, in a thriller about a reckless pilot caught in a race against time.

Rye Mallett, a fearless "freight dog" pilot charged with flying cargo to far-flung locations, is often rough-spoken, usually unshaven, and he never gets the regulation eight hours of shut-eye before a flight; but he does have a rock-solid reputation: he will fly in the foulest weather, day or night, and deliver the goods safely to their destination. So, when Rye is asked to fly into a completely fogbound Northern Georgia town and deliver a mysterious black box to a Dr. Lambert, he doesn't ask why--he just ups his price.

As Rye's plane nears the isolated landing strip, more trouble than inclement weather awaits him. He is greeted first by a sabotage attempt that causes him to crash land, and then by Dr. Brynn O'Neal, who claims she was sent for the box in Dr. Lambert's stead. Despite Rye's "no-involvement" policy when it comes other people's problems, he finds himself irresistibly drawn to the intrigue surrounding his cargo...and to the mysterious and attractive Brynn O'Neal.

Soon Rye and Brynn are in a treacherous 48-hour race to deliver the box before time runs out. With the hours slipping by and everyone from law enforcement officials to hired thugs hot on their heels, the two must protect their valuable cargo from those who would kill for it--that is, if they can trust each other. 

My Thoughts:

You get the gist of the story from the book description, so I won’t regurgitate the details in my review.  I can tell you the story was pretty addictive, with a few of Sandra Brown’s usual twists, but I did find a few scenes a bit tedious. I felt they should’ve wrapped up or got to the point much sooner.  Still, I really enjoyed the mystery, was on the edge worrying about our characters, and I liked the connection between Rye and Brynn. They got to know each other in bits and pieces while determining just how much they could trust each other. Their relationship/romance was antagonistic off and on throughout, but never doubt that Sandra Brown can create some palpable chemistry, and sizzling sex scenes!  

I listened to Tailspin during one our long stretches of driving on our Pacific Northwest coastal vacation.  It made the time go by quickly and allowed me to take in the scenery (the Fall colors were beautiful!) while my husband drove.  He said driving didn’t seem to take nearly as long (9 ½ hours one of those days!) because of the captivating story.

On a side note, Victor Slezak narrated the story, and he’s a regular narrator for Sandra Brown novels.  His style of narration makes a lot of the male characters sound like rednecks (not to be offensive!), I think more than they were actually meant to be. I’m used to his narration, but my husband said it made some of the story feel corny.

3.5 Suns

Giveaway: First 8 book of the Charley Davidson series

Hello readers! I'm giving away the first 8 books in the Charley Davidson series by Darynda Jones. This series has been a lot of fun for me but I'm trying to make room on my shelves and I figured I'd pass them over to someone else to enjoy. 

First Grave on the Right-Hardcover & has a little damage on the spine of the dust cover.

Second Grave on the Left-Paperback

Third Grave Dead Ahead-Paperback

Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet-Hardcover (signed by author to me)

Fifth Grave Past the Light-Paperback

Sixth Grave on the Edge-Paperback

Seventh Grave and No Body-Paperback

Eighth Grave After Dark-Hardcover

The giveaway is open to US residents only.  Good luck!

Review: Consumed by J.R. Ward

Consumed (Firefighters #1) by J. R. Ward

Publication Date: October 2nd 2018 by Gallery Books

Pages: 416

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Apple | Kobo

About the book:

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the popular Black Dagger Brotherhood series comes a brand-new novel about arson investigator, Anne Ashburn, who is consumed by her troubled past, her family’s scorched legacy, and her current case: chasing a deadly killer.

Anne Ashburn is a woman consumed...

By her bitter family legacy, by her scorched career as a firefighter, by her obsession with department bad-boy Danny McGuire, and by a new case that pits her against a fiery killer.

Strong-willed Anne was fearless and loved the thrill of fighting fires, pushing herself to be the best. But when one risky decision at a warehouse fire changes her life forever, Anne must reinvent not only her job, but her whole self.

Shattered and demoralized, Anne finds her new career as an arson investigator a pale substitute for the adrenaline-fueled life she left behind. She doesn't believe she will ever feel that same all-consuming passion for her job again--until she encounters a string of suspicious fires setting her beloved city ablaze.

Danny McGuire is a premiere fireman, best in the county, but in the midst of a personal meltdown. Danny is taking risks like never before and seems to have a death wish until he teams up with Anne to find the fire starter. But Danny may be more than a distraction, and as Anne narrows in on her target, the arsonist begins to target her.

From the creator of the bestselling Black Dagger Brotherhood, get ready for a new band of brothers. And a firestorm.

My Thoughts:

Just finished Consumed and wow, I loved it!

Anne Ashburn and Danny McGuire were fellow firefighters at the 499 firehouse, close friends always battling attraction that Anne didn’t want to give into until one desperate night.  Fearing loss of respect by her crew members and being another notch in Danny’s belt were just a couple of the many reasons she couldn’t let things go farther. But all those concerns fell to the side when a night on the job almost kills them, and leaves Anne unable to do the job anymore. 

Anne picks up the pieces and goes on, now as arson investigator. The job isn’t something she thought she’d ever feel passionate about, like Anne did fighting fires, until solving a string of warehouse fires sparks her interest and puts a target on her back.

I was sucked into Anne and Danny’s story from the first page to the end. I read the novellas and Consumed in a 24-hour period and I don’t want to let their story go!  I was a little worried that Anne would be pushing Danny away through most of the book, but I shouldn’t have.  Their romance was a gradual process; one of self-discovery, honest self-admissions, and building trust.  With Anne’s past revealed it was easy to understand why she’d be wary of letting any relationship consume her, but I appreciated she started acknowledging how that past was hindering her future. 

Oh Danny! All in, head-over-heels in love with Anne, something that’d been brewing between them since she started at the 499, but he worried she’d never come around.  It was bittersweet longing on his end, (on Anne’s part too, not that he knew that) and it made my heart ache for him!  Unrequited love (that turns out well, of course!) is one of my favorite types of romances. Danny was so protective and wanted to do right by all his crewmates/friends, not only Anne.   The whole thing with Moose and Deandra was a hot mess to put it mildly.  Deandra was a horrid piece of work!

Not only did I LOVE the romance between Danny and Anne, I enjoyed seeing Anne’s fractured relationship with her brother and mother heal and evolve.  I’m looking forward to seeing Tom (Anne’s brother and Fire Chief) in the future.  He and Mayor Catherine Mahoney lock horns, but I could see a possible romance in the future for them.

I’ve read both her paranormal/fantasy and contemporary stories, and J.R. Ward writes a captivating tale no matter the genre!  Consumed was a page turner!  Anne and Danny’s romance, and some of the mystery wraps up, but there are loose ends in the arson investigation that will probably go on into the next installments.  I can’t wait! 

As a side note, I think it’s a really good idea to read the prequel novellas. They give background and more foundation to Anne and Danny’s story that shouldn’t be missed.  Both are free (here and here) and pretty short: 87 pages for both combined.

5 Suns

Connect with J.R. Ward:

 Facebook: J.R.WardAuthor • Twitter: @JRWard1 • Instagram: jrwardauthor • Website: jrward.com

Sunday Post #2

The Sunday Post is hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated reviewer book blog.

I'm on my Pacific Northwest vacation right now currently in Oregon.  My husband and I started in Northern California and have been working our way up to our final stop in Washington.  The weather has been gorgeous until yesterday when it turned cloudy and foggy with a bit of rain, but that's been beautiful too.  I stayed mostly indoors reading by the fire today except for a walk out from our cottage onto the beach. Spotted some whales! 

Read:
Click on title for Goodreads link

The Wedding From Hell Part 1 & 2 were prequel novellas (free on Amazon) for J.R. Ward's upcoming book Consumed.  Both were really good, and I think they really added necessary background to the main couple's story in Consumed which I'm now reading and loving! Don't Touch My Petunia (fun title name!) was a disappointment after loving the first book Don't Call Me Cupcake.  Too much couple drama and the heroine was frustrating.  This is my second time "reading" Iron and Magic, this time by audio book and I loved it just as much as the first time around. The narration was fantastic! Rocky Mountain Cowboy Christmas was excellent, one of my favorite Katie Ruggle stories to date.  I really enjoyed The Guilty Dead even jumping in at the 9th book in the series.  Immortal Danger was sexy and fun.

Book Haul:

Click on title for Goodreads link:

Loving The Lost Platoon series by Monica McCarty so of course I snatched Out of Time up!  Can't wait to continue Cutler, Sutter & Salinas in Untouchable by Jayne Ann Krentz.  Mary Balogh's historical romances are full of emotion and great characters so I can't wait to read Someone to Trust.

Haven't watched any TV or movies while on vacation.  Been reading if I'm not touring a lighthouse or by the sea.  

Did you know that lighthouses had their own traveling library delivered?  Here's a picture of one of them below from the Yaquina Head Lighthouse in Newport, Oregon:  

They went through the books and then got a new batch to help with the solitary and isolated life that came with being a lighthouse keeper.

Reading on the deck with a mimosa:

Review & Giveaway: Rocky Mountain Cowboy Christmas by Katie Ruggle

Rocky Mountain Cowboy Christmas by Katie Ruggle

Publication Date: September 11th 2018 by Sourcebooks Casablanca

Pages: 325

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Apple | Kobo

About the book:

In the heart of the Rockies
In the arms of a cowboy
One white Christmas can change everything.

When firefighter and single dad Steve Springfield moved his four kids to a Colorado Christmas tree ranch, he intended for it to be a safe haven. But he never expected danger to follow them to his childhood home...

Or that he would come face-to-face with the one girl he could never forget.

Folk artist Camille Brandt lives a quiet life. As the town's resident eccentric, she's used to being lonely--until Steve freaking Springfield changes everything. Brave and kind, he's always had a piece of her heart, and it doesn't take long before she's in danger of falling for him and his rambunctious kids. But as mysterious fires break out across the sleepy Colorado town, Steve and Camille will have to fight if they want their happy family to survive until Christmas...

My Thoughts:

Steve Springfield was a secondary character from Katie Ruggle’s previous series and he now has his own story.  As a firefighter in the past two series, he’s moved back to his home town of Born, Colorado on the family ranch to escape the dangers that went down back in Monroe.  Raising his four children as a single dad offers enough excitement without adding murder and mayhem to the mix.  Back home, he and the family are very busy with their Christmas tree business and gift shop.  The ranch sounded so very picturesque, making buying a Christmas tree a memorable experience, hauling the tree with horses and selling unique Christmas gifts in their shop.  

Steve is still a firefighter, although a volunteer one now, and this is how he runs into the beautiful, but painfully shy Camille.

Camille had a mad crush on Steve while in high school.  He was good-looking and popular, but also very kind. Even if Camille didn’t have anxiety interacting socially, she was three grades behind Steve and so they didn’t cross paths much back then.  Now that he’s back in town and circumstances have thrown them together, Camille is falling hard for Steve and his kids.  Steve is even more irresistible than he was in school, and his kids are unique and intelligent.  Somehow with all her social awkwardness, she just clicks with them. 

I loved Camille and Steve! Camille got so nervous around Steve and would just babble whatever came into her head. Words would just spill out of her mouth before she had time to edit, and I would just laugh! It was hilarious!  She was sweet, awkward and endearing.  Luckily, Steve wasn’t the type of guy to play games so Camille’s forthright admissions worked out well for them.  Steve’s kids were fun, and I enjoyed seeing Camille get to know them and get close.  She fit right in! 

The fires in Borne added an edge of danger to the story, culminating in an action packed, thrilling conclusion. I was surprised to find out the identity of the culprit! Rocky Mountain Cowboy Christmas was a heartwarming, sweet romance, set in a beautiful Christmas Winter wonderland, but was also a suspenseful story that put me on the edge of my seat more than a few times.  Loved the mix!

4.5 Suns

Connect with Katie Ruggle:

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter

The people of Sourcebooks Casablanca are giving away 3 copies of Rocky Mountain Cowboy Christmas! Fill out the rafflecopter for a chance to win.  Good luck!

Review & Giveaway: The Guilty Dead by P.J. Tracy

The Guilty Dead by P.J. Tracy

Publication Date: September 11th 2018 by Crooked Lane Books

Pages: 325

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

About the book:

Gregory Norwood, wealthy businessman and close friend of Minnesota's leading candidate for Governor, is found dead on the first anniversary of his son's drug overdose. It seems clear to Detectives Gino and Magozzi that grief drove him to suicide.

Until they find the second body.

As the seemingly open-and-shut case becomes a murder enquiry, the detectives begin to delve into the dark secrets of one of the city's most powerful families. It seems the murders are not the first in the Norwoods' tragic story - and they won't be the last...

My Thoughts:

Leo Magozzi and Gino Rolseth, homicide detectives of the Minnesota Police Department are called out for what they think is a routine sign-off on a suicide. The victim is Gregory Norwood a wealthy businessman on the one-year anniversary of his son’s overdose. The situation turns into anything but routine after reviewing the facts of the scene, and the discovery of another body.  What they find is a tragic history and many twists. 

At the same time the Monkeewrench team, a private cyber security/investigative company/expert hackers (from what I gather) are on high alert after their contact in the FBI enlists their help searching for terror suspects because the FBI knows something big is about to happen but can’t narrow down the suspects or target.

This is book nine in the series and I haven’t read the previous books, but it wasn’t necessary for the current mysteries.  There were some personal relationships that I didn’t witness from the beginning, Grace (a Monkeewrench specialist) and Leo Magozzi’s (a Minnesota Homicide Det.) was featured prominently here, but still it was more of a side story than the main gig.  And their scenes were very touching even without reading about them previously.  I’d like to go back and find out how they came together.  Grace seems to have issues from the past that makes it difficult to let people in, yet she’s with Leo and having his baby. Love more history!

This was very much a crime procedural, the homicide and terror cases being front and center, with bits of personal relationships featured.  I’m a sucker for a good crime procedural, solving the crime right along with the detectives piecing things together.  I had a character under suspicion early on which panned out, but I wasn’t sure of their motivations, so I had fun getting to the whys. 

The Guilty Dead was a fast-paced page turner with danger, action, and revelations at every turn!  Thrilling and entertaining!  I’m interested in going back and reading from the beginning!

4 Suns

The lovely people of Crooked Lane Books generously provided a copy of The Guilty Dead to giveaway to one lucky reader.  Fill out the rafflecopter below for a chance to win.  The giveaway is open to US Residents only.  Good luck!

Review: Immortal Danger by Cynthia Eden

Immortal Danger by Cynthia Eden

Publication Date: August 28th 2018 by Kensington Publishing

Pages: 352

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

About the book:

WHO NEEDS AN APP WHEN YOU CAN PAY IN BLOOD?

Once, Maya Black was a badass cop patrolling the streets of L.A. She still keeps the city safe, but these days her bad guys of choice include demons, werewolves, and assorted nocturnal scum. Something Maya knows a thing or two about. She's a vampire--and not thrilled about it. Payback meet bitch.

Adam Brody hopes Maya is as dangerous as they say she is. He needs her to help rescue his niece Cammie from a ruthless band of vamps, and he's willing to pay--in blood. Trusting her is another matter. Adam has never met a vampire who doesn't lie. Then again, he's never met anyone like Maya, who fills him with a desperate need that ignites into explosive, no-holds-barred encounters . . .

"A wild, adventurous ride readers will love!"
--New York Times bestselling author Angela Knight

My Thoughts:

When his niece is kidnapped by a vicious group of vampires Adam Brody seeks out Maya Black’s help to find her.  Even though Maya is a vampire herself she has a fierce reputation of taking out the bad guys, vamps, demons, whatever kind of creature. 

Maya was a police officer when she was forcibly turned into a vampire, and she hates her kind because most of them are murdering fiends with no conscious.  She thinks Adam’s mission will probably get him killed, thinking he’s just a human, and she doesn’t want to be part of that.  However, Adam’s willing to pay and he’d probably go off on his own anyhow so Maya’s stuck.

Adam and Maya are very distrustful of each other as they join forces, but there’s a spark of attraction brewing between them from the beginning. Adam can’t stand vampires, but he can tell Maya is different, and despite her prickly demeanor she truly cares about people.  Adam he can’t help but admire her strength and skills taking on baddies twice her size and kicking ass!  Maya assumes Adam is a helpless human and he lets her think that, but Adam is much more.  I won’t spoil things by telling you what he is, but I thought it was pretty cool!

In between all the action and danger Adam and Maya battle with their desires. At first, it’s animal attraction, irresistible and desperate, but they start to fall for each other a little more with each passing day.  Cynthia Eden writes some truly hot stuff and whether it be her romantic suspense or paranormal stories, she has her romances dialed to sizzle! Adam and Maya were no exception!

Immortal Danger was fast paced, full of action and a lot of fun. It looks like this story was originally published back in 2009, as the start of the Night Watch series, but may have been updated.  Maya and Adam’s story wraps up, but the series continues centering on other characters.  I plan on getting to the next book soon.

3.5 Suns