Review: .38 Caliber Cover-Up by Angi Morgan

April 20, 2020 Leave a Comment

.38 Caliber Cover-Up
by Angi Morgan

Published by Harlequin Intrigue
on January 17, 2011
Genres: Romantic Suspense
Pages: 219

♥

Undercover DEA agent Erren Rhodes was used to working alone. So the very idea of teaming up with Officer Darby O'Malley to ferret out a killer wasn't exactly how he thought this critical mission would go. But thanks to information only the beautiful cop possessed, finding whoever was responsible for shooting Erren's friend made Darby a valuable--and irresistible--partner. Digging into the case, though, revealed a far-reaching conspiracy...and angered all the wrong people. Now, trying to bring a killer to justice while keeping Darby safe was making Erren remember why he was better off on his own. Especially when Darby made him long to hole up with her in the safe house and never let her out of his sight.

Review

Harlequin Intrigue is probably my least favorite line out of all Harlequin’s imprints. There are, however, some books from Intrigue that I like. This one, unfortunately, is not one of those. I like it, but I think this only rates a three from me.

The plot is interesting, fast-paced, and action-filled. I quite enjoyed the chemistry between the main characters. There’s nothing wrong with how the book was written. I actually commend Angi Morgan for not writing a cheesy romance novel disguised as a cop drama. In fact, the balance between romance and action was great. The reason I’m giving this a three is because even if it was an entertaining read, it wasn’t something that got to me emotionally. Don’t get me wrong, this is still a solid read and probably one of the more exciting books from Intrigue.

About Angi Morgan

Angi Morgan is a USA Today and Publisher’s Weekly bestselling author. Her work has finaled in the Romantic Times First Series Book, the Booksellers’ Best First Book, the Booksellers’ Best Series Romantic Suspense, the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence, the Carolyn Readers Choice Award and the Daphne du Maurier. An 11th generation Texan, Angi utilizes her strong heritage to create passionate characters in actual Texas locations who are willing to risk everything.

Review: $OLD by Jaid Black

April 20, 2020 Leave a Comment

$old
by Jaid Black
Series: American Infidels #1

on February 17 2017
Genres: Erotic Romance
Pages: 155

♥

Dr. Viviana Lincoln is an expert linguist in several Middle Eastern dialects. Employed by the CIA as a translator, her latest assignment requires a temporary move to a safe-house in Northern Kabul. Translating between jihadist prisoners and their CIA interrogators is all in a day's work. Her mundane routine takes a harrowing turn when a high-level prisoner escapes and the safe-house's location is compromised.

Review

I haven’t read anything from Jaid Black in awhile. I’ve always enjoyed her over-the-top eroticas filled with aliens, and other other-worldly characters all having scorching hot sex in descriptive scenes that are both arousing and disturbing. When I saw that she released this book, I was excited to get my hands on it because I already know just what to expect out of a Jaid Black book. And this one definitely did not disappoint.

I enjoyed this book because it was realistic and contemporary. It portrayed the current society in war-torn Syria. It depicted the life of American dignitaries who work for the government, aiming to achieve global peace while knowing that any moment, their lives and positions in that country was in danger. That’s why I really admired this book’s heroine. Aside from being smart, she was brave and principled. The hero was a true, possessive alpha that any romance reader would enjoy.

For a book that has sex written all over it, $old also holds a solid plot, so I really enjoyed it. I see that there’s a book with which features a familiar character. I hope I get the time to insert it in between my current list of reads.

Series Order and Buy Link

About Jaid Black

Jaid Black is the pseudonym of Tina M. Engler, the founder & owner of Ellora’s Cave Publishing. Ms. Engler has been featured in every available news outlet, from the Washington Post and L.A. Times to Forbes, Publisher’s Weekly, national TV news stations, and the Montel Show. Ms. Engler was officially recognized by Romantic Times Magazine with their first ever Trail Blazer award as the mastermind of erotic romance as you know and love it today. Writing as Jaid Black, her books have received numerous distinctions, including a nomination for the Henry Miller award for the best literary sex scene written in the English language.

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Review: #Bae by Cambria Hebert

April 19, 2020 Leave a Comment

#Bae
by Cambria Hebert
Series: Hashtag #7

Published by Cambria Hebert
on September 12, 2016
Genres: New Adult Romance
Narrator: Melissa Moran, Eric Michael Summerer

♥

BEFORE ANYONE ELSE
Happily-ever-after.
That's what happens when you get married.
Right?
Turns out sparkly rings, cake and a fantastic wedding do not automatically grant you that, not even when it's all you truly want.
I'm even starting to doubt the bottomless, unconditional love I share with the man I married will be enough.
I can't have happily ever after, know why?
Because I can't give Romeo what he truly wants. I've tried. So hard. I won't be happy unless he is and something is missing. Someone.
Paparazzi are in my face. The flashing cameras and prying eyes are everywhere. My secret is getting harder to hide, and I know the second the scoop is dished the grip I have on the fraying rope of that happily ever after will snap right in my face.
In our face.
I can't let that happen. No matter what.

Review

If you ask me, I’d definitely say that #Heart is how this series should have ended. However, I will never say no to another dose of Romeo and Rimmel and the rest of the gang. This book is a great bonus to the fans because this time, our beloved characters are already married, out of college, and living mature lives. Ivy and Braeden are very happy with Nova, and now we have R and R trying out for one of their own.

What I love about this book is that even if the story centered on R and R, the rest of the series characters still play a significant role. I love that Trent and Drew were heavily featured here. I like that even if everyone’s love lives are settled and happy, there are still other things going on in their lives that make things interesting. I really love what Ms. Hebert has done to this series. She went from a college fairytale trope to a rocking new adult saga that so many people have fallen in love with.

Series Order and Buy Link

About Cambria Hebert

Cambria Hebert is a bestselling novelist of more than fifty titles. She went to college for a bachelor’s degree, couldn’t pick a major, and ended up with a degree in cosmetology. So rest assured her characters will always have good hair.

Besides writing, Cambria loves a pumpkin spice latte, staying up late, sleeping in, and watching K drama until her eyes won’t stay open. She considers math human torture and has an irrational fear of chickens (yes, chickens). You can often find her running on the treadmill (she’d rather be eating a donut), painting her toenails (because she bites her fingernails), or walking her chihuahuas (the real bosses of the house).

Cambria has written in many genres, including new adult, sports romance, male/male romance, sci-fi, thriller, suspense, contemporary romance, and young adult. Many of her titles have been translated into foreign languages and have been the recipients of multiple awards.

Review: #Holiday by Cambria Hebert

April 19, 2020 Leave a Comment

#Holiday
by Cambria Hebert
Series: Hashtag #6.5

Published by Cambria Hebert
on December 3, 2015
Genres: New Adult Romance
Pages: 140

♥

Givers gonna give… Twas the night of game day, And all through the town, Lacey glittering snowflakes fluttered around. They clung to the roads, concealing everything with white. It was a beautiful #holiday sight. The paparazzi were out without any care, In hopes to catch Romeo and Rimmel, rumored to be there. When out on the road there arose such a clatter. The Hellcat spun out, but it shouldn’t matter. I pulled out my cell to dial in a flash. But the battery was dead. What useless trash. The moonlight glistening on the new fallen snow Made us forget we needed a tow. For the season was upon us. Our family was alight. Our #holiday was destined to be merry and bright.

Review

I don’t think that whatever took place in this novella was in any way significant to the series as a whole, or even if there’d be future books to look forward to.

However, as a fan of the series, as someone who has loved and followed Ivy, Braeden, Rimmel, and Romeo, this novella is like a balm to a thirsty soul. It’s great to read about them again and hang out with them and the entire family.

Series Order and Buy Link

About Cambria Hebert

Review: #Heart by Cambria Hebert

April 19, 2020 Leave a Comment

#Heart
by Cambria Hebert
Series: Hashtag #6

Published by Cambria Hebert
on November 2, 2015
Genres: New Adult Romance
Pages: 528
Narrator: Chandra Skyye, Eric Michael Summerer

♥

Lovers Gonna Love... Family isn't always defined by blood. Sometimes family is born of love... Loyalty... And choice. Sometimes the bond that comes from someone having your back through the shittiest of times is stronger than anything you get from genetics. And sometimes you find that piece of your soul you didn't even know was missing. I'm a lucky guy like that. I found a love that will never fade. I found a group of people who aren't just my friends. They've become my family. There's only one place to go from here. I'm gonna bind myself to Rimmel in every possible way. I'm gonna bring our family even closer together. The past has taught me it won't be easy. Especially when faced with repercussions from a night that ended in death. But that's okay. Family doesn't quit each other. Love like ours never dies. Happily ever after isn't just for storybooks.

Review

Ivy and Braeden have both overcome so much. From sniping at each other, semi hating each other, to falling in love and losing friendships, to surviving rape trauma and a near death tragedy. And now, Braeden is struggling with the aftermath of what happened in the previous book. I really feel bad for him. He’s had a lot to bear. First, the knowledge that Ivy was raped. He had to watch her suffer, but he couldn’t bear to tell her the truth because he felt like it would wound her more to know that she was assaulted instead of it just being a drunken mistake. It made the whole thing darker, more evil, more traumatic. So he bore the secret. Then now, with what happened with Zach, he had to live with it too. I love this couple because they were both very protective of each other.

Rimmel and Romeo have also come a long way. From just being a jock and a nerd, they are now one of the strongest couples that I’ve ever read about. There was never any doubt that they loved each other, that they were going to fight for each other and for their families, both in blood and by choice.

I love the way this book ended. And can I just say that even if I didn’t know about the Gearshark series, I would know something was definitely up with Drew and Trent. And Ms. Cambria teased that story in a way that made me excited and thrilled to get to their own book.

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About Cambria Hebert

Review: #Poser by Cambria Hebert

April 19, 2020 Leave a Comment

#Poser
by Cambria Hebert
Series: Hashtag #5

Published by Cambria Hebert
on August 5, 2015
Genres: New Adult Romance
Pages: 702
Narrator: Shaun Grindell, Jillian Macie

♥

Posers gonna pose... I am a man who had nothing but found everything. I'll never go back to nothing ever again. I vowed to protect her, and that's exactly what I'm gonna do. The pictures I stumbled upon haunt me still. The secret I shoulder is heavy. They say secrets put distance between people, but the truth is far more destructive than keeping it hidden will ever be. I won't ever tell. She can't know. When I look in the mirror, my reflection is of who I'm afraid I'll become, not the man I am. It makes me feel like a #poser, no better than all the others pretending to be exactly who they aren't. How does a man keep it together when everything is unraveling right here in his hands? I didn't start any of this. I never asked for it. But it came knocking. When secrets and threats knock, I open the door. Because the best way to take down a #poser is to be one.

Review

I’ve been waiting to get into this book the moment that Braeden discovered that Ivy was raped and that what happened with her and Zach was far from consensual. I couldn’t wait to read how they were going to deal with things once the truth comes out. Ms. Hebert never fails to put a bit of suspense and thrill into her books, even when the story drowns in sweetness, I could feel my tooth start to ache.

Anyway, the reason I couldn’t give this book a full five stars is that I just didn’t enjoy the chapters with Zach’s POV. I mean, yeah, it made me understand where his rage and hate came from. But maybe that could have been achieved by a simple narration by someone else instead of having to read his thoughts and his hatred of the series’ main characters.

I also don’t understand why Braeden kept Ivy’s assault a secret. Yes, he had his reason, but I would have thought that seeing Ivy become very tortured by something she couldn’t understand would have prompted him to tell the truth. Stat. Fortunately, he more than redeemed himself because he remained strong for Ivy, even when she didn’t want to see him or talk to him.

I really love Ivy and Braeden, and this story just made me love them more because of the things they had to endure. Yes, Romeo and Rimmel also had issues, but those seem little when compared to Ivy’s trials alone. I really am glad that after everything that happened and after all things that were done to them, these fantastic four always end up as survivors.

Series Order and Buy Link

About Cambria Hebert