#BookReview: Fatal Intrusion (Sanchez & Heron, #1) by Jeffery Deaver & Isabella Maldonado @AmazonPub

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As a wave of murders grips Southern California, an unlikely pair must untangle the mysterious patterns of an elusive killer. A propulsive new series by New York Times bestselling author Jeffery Deaver and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Isabella Maldonado.

Carmen Sanchez is a tough Homeland Security agent who plays by the rules. But when her sister is attacked, revealing a connection to a series of murders across Southern California, she realizes a conventional investigation will not be enough to stop the ruthless perpetrator.

With nowhere else to turn, Sanchez enlists the aid of Professor Jake Heron, a brilliant and quirky private security expert who, unlike Sanchez, believes rules are merely suggestions. The two have a troubled past, but he owes her a favor and she’s cashing in. They team up to catch the assailant, who, mystifyingly, has no discernable motive and fits no classic criminal profile. All they have to go on is a distinctive tattoo and a singular obsession that gives this chillingly efficient tactician his nickname: Spider.

Over the next seventy-two hours, Sanchez and Heron find themselves in the midst of a lethal chess match with the killer as they race to stop the carnage. As the victims mount, so do the risks. Because this spider’s web of intrigue is more sinister—and goes far deeper—than anyone could possibly anticipate.

#BookReview: All the Way Gone (Detective Annalisa Vega, #4) by Joanna Schaffhausen @MinotaurBooks

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The fourth installment in the beloved Detective Annalisa Vega series

Is there such a thing as a good sociopath? Newly minted private investigator Annalisa Vega is skeptical, but her first client, Mara Delaney, insists that some sociopaths are beneficial to society. Mara has even written a book titled The Good Sociopath that is centered around Chicago neurosurgeon Craig Canning. Dr. Canning has saved hundreds of lives so it shouldn’t matter that he doesn’t actually care about his patients, should it? But Mara has a more urgent problem, which is that she is now concerned that Canning might not be such a good sociopath after all. A young woman in Canning’s apartment building mysteriously plunged to her death from a balcony, and Mara fears Canning could be responsible. She needs to uncover the truth about Canning before the book comes out, so Annalisa has little time to search for answers.

Annalisa quickly discovers that more than one person wanted the young woman dead. Canning insists he didn’t do it. His charming, unflappable demeanor suggests that either he’s telling the truth or Mara is right and he’s cold-hearted to the core. The cops, including Annalisa’s husband, think the girl’s death was an accident. The more Annalisa probes, the more she becomes convinced it’s a fiendishly clever murder, one only a brilliant psychopath could pull off. She draws deeper into a battle of wits with Canning, so determined to prove his guilt that she forgets Mara’s most important warning―that sociopaths only care about winning at all costs. When Annalisa finally peels back the layers of deceit to reveal the horrifying truth of the girl’s death, she may be too late to save herself.

#AudioBookReview: Two Can Play by Ali Hazelwood & Kelsey Navarro Foster (Narrator)

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Listening Length: 4 hours and 24 minutes

An enemies-to-lovers spicy romance set in the world of video gaming from the bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis—available only in audio!

Viola Bowen has the chance of a lifetime: to design a video game based on her all-time favorite book series. The only problem? Her co-lead is Jesse F-ing Andrews, a.k.a. her arch-nemesis. Jesse has made it abundantly clear over the years that he wants nothing to do with her–and Viola has no idea why.

When their bosses insist a wintery retreat is the perfect team-building exercise, Viola can’t think of anything worse. Being freezing cold in a remote mountain lodge knowing Jesse is right next door? No, thank you.

But as the snow piles on, Viola discovers there’s more to Jesse than she knew, and heat builds in more ways than one.

#Review for: A Curse of Blood and Wolves (Wolf Brothers #1) by @melissamcternan @OneMoreChapter_

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⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'If you like forbidden romance, fantasy, fated mates, you will love this book’ NetGalley Reviewer 'Is that what you wanted, brave girl? You wandered through the woods hoping the big bad wolf would find you?' Is it possible to be drawn to someone you’ve never met? When Ruby feels the eyes of a stranger in the woods, she knows she should be scared, that she should run away, but she can’t. Instead, she feels a thrill, feels drawn to this stranger who follows her in the woods. Yearns for his eyes on her every night as she walks home, hoping to hear the crunch of leaves under his feet that signals he’s there. Will he ever reveal himself? After all, fate doesn’t make mistakes . . . 'Ruby is my favorite character. I loved her and Rafe's hot romance… a perfect paranormal romance novel ’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘This is the perfect retelling for anyone who likes spicy paranormal romances . I highly recommend for anyone who enjoys books by Jennifer L Armentrout, Raven Kennedy, and J Bree’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'I loved this retelling of Red Riding Hood with a fantasy twist involving werewolves, witches and other magical creatures!’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘ Plenty of slow burn romance rife with tension … I did not want to put this book down once I started’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘This dark and steamy rendition took me on a thrilling journey, weaving together elements of fantasy and romance’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Finished this in a couple of hours and I loved it ! It has Witches, Werewolves, Seers, and Nymphs’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ' I was sucked into this story and couldn’t tear myself away . I laughed, cried, I was happy, angry… so many emotions. Rafe is… swoon. And Ruby is a phenomenal female force’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

#Review for: Romancing Mister Bridgerton (Bridgertons #4) by Julia Quinn

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On the sixth of April, in the year 1812 - precisely two days before her sixteenth birthday - Penelope Featherington fell in love. But Colin Bridgerton certainly didn't fall in love with her in 1812 (and not in 1813, 1814, 1815, or - oh blast, not in all the years 1816-1822, either, and certainly not in 1823, when he was out of the country the whole time, anyway). Penelope Featherington has secretly adored her best friend's brother for well, it feels like forever. After half a lifetime of watching Colin Bridgerton from afar, she thinks she knows everything about him, until she stumbles across his deepest secret and fears she doesn't know him at all.
Colin Bridgerton is tired of being thought of as nothing but an empty-headed charmer, tired of everyone's preoccupation with the notorious gossip columnist Lady Whistledown, who can't seem to publish an edition without mentioning him in the first paragraph. But when Colin returns to London from a trip abroad he discovers nothing in his life is quite the same - especially Penelope Featherington! The girl haunting his dreams. But when he discovers that Penelope has secrets of her own, this elusive bachelor must decide is she his biggest threat - or his promise of a happy ending?

#Review for: The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society by C. M. Waggoner

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A librarian with a knack for solving murders realizes there is something decidedly supernatural afoot in her little town in this cozy fantasy mystery.

Librarian Sherry Pinkwhistle keeps finding bodies—and solving murders. But she's concerned by just how many killers she's had to track down in her quaint village. None of her neighbors seem surprised by the rising body count...but Sherry is becoming convinced that whatever has been causing these deaths is unnatural. But when someone close to Sherry ends up dead, and her cat, Lord Thomas Crowell, becomes possessed by what seems to be an ancient demon, Sherry begins to think she’s going to need to become an exorcist as well as an amateur sleuth. With the help of her town's new priest, and an assortment of friends who dub themselves the "Demon-Hunting Society," Sherry will have to solve the murder and get rid of a demon. This riotous mix of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Murder, She Wrote is a lesson for demons and murderers.

#Review for: Till Death Do Us Part by @laurellizabeth

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The author of The Girls Are All So Nice Here returns with a thriller set in the vineyards of Napa Valley that asks: what happens when the husband you thought died years ago shows up alive?

Ten years ago, June’s beloved husband drowned on their honeymoon, his body never found. Now, a decade later, June is finally ready to move on. She owns a natural wine bar in Brooklyn and is engaged to a patient, supportive man named Kyle. She’s excited to finally begin a new chapter in her life and start a family.

But out of the blue, she sees him—Josh, her first husband. Is this just a hallucination from the guilt June carries about finally moving on, or is it possible that her husband never died in the first place?

June tries to forget about this vision, chalking it up to grief and nerves, but soon enough, she stumbles across a website for a winery in Napa, and the owner in the photo is identical to her dead husband. With her upcoming wedding looming and a fiancé who’s already worried she hasn’t quite left her past behind, June secretly flies to Napa for answers. But she’s not prepared for all the secrets she’s about to unlock because everything she thought she knew about her first love is a lie.

#Review for: The Man Feared by Darkness (Rooker Lindström #3) by Pete Zacharias @AmazonPub

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No one is safe when a crime reporter confronts the secrets of his dark past in a terrifying novel of revenge and redemption by the author of The Man Trapped by Shadows.

The son of a serial killer, investigative reporter Rooker Lindström has been shadowed by death. He believes the worst is behind him, until a body is discovered in California that matches the MO of Tate Meachum, the Madman killer. But Meachum, who counted Rooker’s son among his victims, has been in prison all these years. Did Rooker help lock away the wrong man? Or is the latest kill the work of a copycat?

PI Tess Harlow doesn’t want to be involved this Rooker has taken years off her life. But she also knows that Rooker returning to California is sure to spell trouble…and Rooker talking to Meachum is the least of their problems. Do Meachum’s mind games hold the key to the puzzle, or are they just another distraction covering up yet another crime? Rooker is sure the murders are meant for him…but why?

For Rooker, on this final hunt, the most disturbing truths are yet to come.

#Review for: The Slowest Burn by Sarah Chamberlain

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Love could be a recipe for disaster, or the best thing they ever cooked up...

Kieran O'Neill should be on top of the world. He's just won a cooking reality TV show, he's on track to open his own restaurant before he turns thirty, and he's even got a high-paying cookbook deal. Still he can't impress his stuck-up family, his ADHD makes planning ahead impossible and, worst of all, his ghostwriter is the most uptight, humourless woman he's ever met. But to be seen as a serious chef like he's always wanted, he needs to finish this book... 

Ellie Wasserman is barely holding it together. She's a thirty-year-old widow living with her needy in-laws, her little brother won't adult without her help, and instead of working on her own cookbook, she's ghostwriting one for the chaotic, impulsive Kieran O'Neill. Or would be, if he'd ever answer her emails. But to own her own home like she's always dreamed of, she needs to finish this book... 

As their deadline gets closer and the heat between them builds, can these two driven, lonely people let go of their past hurts and make something truly sweet together? Or will their fragile new love go up in smoke? 

The ultimate will-they-won't-they, enemies-to-lovers romance that readers everywhere are falling in love with!

#BookReview: A Court This Cruel & Lovely (Kingdom of Lies #1) by Stacia Stark

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For years, when I fell asleep, I dreamed of a man with blazing green eyes and a cruel smile. 

The day I meet him, the ruthless mercenary leaves me for dead. 

Just hours after humans are born, the gods take what little power we have. In return, they protect our borders from the vicious, merciless fae. 

The humans who manage to keep their power are known as the corrupt.
And they are burned. 

When my forbidden power is discovered, I’m forced to flee my tiny village and the life I adore. 

To survive, I make a desperate bargain with the mercenary who abandoned me at my weakest. 

Our deal is simple: I’ll help him and his mysterious friends sneak into the city. And he’ll help me learn to wield the strange, dark power I’ve always kept hidden. The power that may just be the key to my survival. 

But the ruthless mercenary is hiding secrets of his own. Secrets that threaten the safety of everyone I love. Secrets that could tear this kingdom—and perhaps even this world—apart. 

Please note: A Court This Cruel and Lovely is an NA/adult romantasy book with steam. While this series is slow burn, the chili pepper rating will increase for each book.

#BookReview: Love & Lattes by Beth Reekles

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From the author of the bestselling phenomenon, the Kissing Booth, comes another sizzling story about an overachieving girl who unknowingly kisses the one guy she shouldn’t the night before her new internship begins.

One summer internship. Two complete opposites. And a connection neither expected...

Annalise Sherwood has worked herself to the bone to get a place on a prestigious internship program and nothing is going to stop her now. Work hard, play later, that's her motto. She figures one night letting her guard down won't hurt, though - especially when it ends with the best kiss of her life.

But to Anna's horror, she discovers that the mystery guy she kissed that night is none other than Lloyd, the company CEO's son. Born with a silver spoon in his mouth, he's everyone's favorite guy and a total charmer, swanning around like he owns the place. And from the moment they meet again, he rubs Anna up the wrong way.

As the summer and the internship wane on, Lloyd seems to be finding any excuse to annoy Anna, and she's not afraid to give it right back to him. But when a lot of late night working brings them unexpectedly closer, she begins to wonder if there's more to him than she originally thought..

#BookReview: Dating & Dismemberment (Monsters and Mating #1) by A.L. Brody

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Emily Henry meets Grady Hendrix in the funniest and most and original romantic comedy of the year: a monstrously feel good cozy fantasy full of love, laughter, lore, and limbs.

Darla Drake, Duchess of Death, is a legendary monster who has haunted the woods around Camp Clear Creek for years. Until an existential crisis forces her to take a sabbatical from wreaking havoc on pimply teens while she figures out what she really wants from the rest of her (possibly infinite) life. But what does a monster do when her malevolent days are over? For Darla, it’s spending time with the decapitated―yet still overbearing―head of her mother, reading romance novels she steals from campers, and struggling with one monstrous case of melancholy. Until Jarko Murkvale arrives in Clear Creek and turns Darla’s life upside down.

Jarko is a conceited, arrogant, infuriating, and unfortunately for Darla, kind of hot. And with the Duchess of Death on the shelf, Jarko has staked his claim on Camp Clear Creek. But Darla refuses to go down without a fight, and so in order to reclaim her territory she challenges Jarko to a series of hunts to see who the most fearsome monster really is.

But the more mayhem they cause, the more Darla begins to realize there’s more to this brash monster than she believed…and that Jarko may just be the antidote to her ennui. But there’s a reason Jarko came to Clear Creek, and in order to fill her nine-chambered heart, Darla will have to unravel the mystery of who this closed-off monster really is. And if they can manage to not literally tear each other limb from limb, Darla and Jarko just might find that couples who slay together, stay together.

#BookReview: The Lost Portal (Mirror Realm #2) by Lenore Borja

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For fans of Kendare Blake’s Goddess War series comes this second installment in a gripping YA fantasy series that follows a band of huntresses taking on a world of demons and gods.

For years, Hadley Caldwell kept humanity safe by hunting demons. But that came to an end when the Mirror Realm disappeared. Now her life is filled with bridesmaid dresses, family pressures, and—oh yeah—hosting ancient deities in her sleep. It’s not world-saving work, but if dream-hosting is all it takes to keep the gods happy, she’s willing to play along and leave her huntress days behind her. That is, until the gods demand something the Portal of Osiris.

The Portal was part of the Realm. It shouldn’t exist anymore. But the gods believe it does, and claim it holds the key to their salvation. The quest for the Portal takes Hadley and her band of huntress sisters on an enigmatic adventure to the sands of Egypt and beyond. But chasing a portal isn’t as easy as outrunning your past, and soon the only things Hadley knows for certain are that the gods can’t be trusted . . . and some portals should never be found.

Join Hadley, Alice, Olivia, and Soxie in this electrifying second book of the Mirror Realm series as they traverse the globe on an ancient scavenger hunt full of mystery, magic, intrigue, and sisterhood.

#BookReview: The Last Huntress (Mirror Realm #1) by Lenore Borja

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Alice Daniels has a problem. Her reflection keeps misbehaving when she looks in the mirror--and the longer she ignores it, the harder it tries to get her attention. On her eighteenth birthday, she learns why: she is a huntress, someone gifted with the power to enter mirrors and the magical world that exists beyond. But with this power comes immense responsibility, for in the Mirror Realm lurks an evil that has infected the human race for centuries: demons. It is up to her and her three huntress sisters--with the help of one handsome and overbearing protector--to hunt and banish this evil one demon at a time, thereby keeping the chaos in check. But when an ancient god pays Alice a visit that turns deadly, it is clear the Mirror Realm is more than it seems, and she soon finds herself in a race against time to save the life--and soul--of the one man the gods are determined to never let her have.

The Last Huntress is a story of redemption and sacrifice, the bonds of true sisterhood, and the impossible, sometimes frightening, things we'll do for love.

#BookReview: Immersion: A Linguist's Memoir by Linda Murphy Marshall

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Fans of the self-discovering journeys in Cheryl Strayed’s Wild and Andrew McCarthy’s The Longest Way Home will love diving into linguist Linda Murphy Marshall’s adventure-filled international journey as she overcomes her past to find her place in the world—all over the world.

Immersion is a memoir that takes the reader on a captivating emotional and physical journey through Linda Murphy Marshall’s from the longstanding, crippling impact of family members’ low expectations and abuse, to her discovery as a young adult that she possesses special skills in foreign languages.

Linda is taught from an early age that she has little of value to offer the world. But her love of and affinity for languages enables her to create a new life—to separate herself from her toxic environment and to build a successful, decades-long career as a professional multilinguist. It’s a rewarding vocation, but a challenging her assignments with the US federal government take her on some hair-raisingly dangerous journeys, some to countries with unstable governments and even active war zones. But these sometimes-harrowing experiences teach her how to open the “windows” around her, unearth her true self, and develop a healthy sense of self-worth—and ultimately, paradoxically, her work and travel so far from home allow her to come home to herself.

#BookReview: Love Story by Lindsey Kelk

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She’s a small-town schoolteacher. 

He’s a hotshot marketing director. 

Together, it’s hate at first sight.

Sophie Taylor has a secret and Joe Walsh thinks he knows it (all). He’s devilishly handsome, incredibly hot – and far too sure of himself. 

Unfortunately, Sophie desperately needs his help. She has lost her laptop – and her sequel to the sensational, spicy romance that everybody’s talking about. 

Because Sophie is not just hiding something small. She is Este Cox, the mysterious romance author the entire world is desperate to unmask. 

When a trip to Sophie’s home town leads to the disgruntledpair sharing a one-bed cottage, it’s a short step to sharing a whole lot more besides… Can Sophie trust Joe with the truth – and be herself?

#BookReview: My Vampire Plus-One (My Vampires #2) by Jenna Levine

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Nothing sucks more than fake dating a vampire in this paranormal romantic comedy from the USA Today bestselling author of My Roommate Is a Vampire.

Amelia Collins is by definition successful. She would even go so far as to say successfully single. But not according to her family, and she’s tired of the constant questions about her nonexistent dating life. When an invitation to yet another family wedding arrives, she decides to get everyone off her back once and for all by finding someone–anyone–to pose as her date.

After a chance encounter with Reginald Cleaves, Amelia decides he’s perfect for her purposes. He’s a bit strange, but that’s fine; it’ll discourage tough questions from her family. (And it certainly doesn’t hurt that he’s very handsome.) For centuries-old vampire Reggie, posing as her plus-one sounds like the ultimate fun. And if it helps his ruse of pretending to be human, so much the better.

As Amelia and Reggie practice their fauxmance, it becomes clear that Reggie is as loyal to her as the day is long, and that Amelia’s first impressions could not have been more wrong. Suddenly, being in a real relationship with Reggie sounds pretty fang-tastic.

#BookReview: If Something Happens to Me by Alex Finlay

For the past five years, Ryan Richardson has relived that terrible night. The car door ripping open. The crushing blow to the head. The hands yanking him from the vehicle. His girlfriend Ali’s piercing scream as she is taken.

With no trace of Ali or the car, a cloud of suspicion hangs over Ryan. But with no proof and a good lawyer, he’s never charged, though that doesn’t matter to the podcasters and internet trolls. Now, Ryan has changed his last name, and entered law school. He's put his past behind him.

Until, on a summer trip abroad to Italy with his law-school classmates, Ryan gets a call from his father: Ali's car has finally been found, submerged in a lake in his hometown. Inside are two dead men and a cryptic note with five words written on the envelope in Ali’s handwriting: If something happens to me…

Then, halfway around the world, the unthinkable happens: Ryan sees the man who has haunted his dreams since that night.

As Ryan races from the rolling hills of Tuscany, to a rural village in the UK, to the glittering streets of Paris in search of the truth, he has no idea that his salvation may lie with a young sheriff’s deputy in Kansas working her first case, and a mobster in Philadelphia who’s experienced tragedy of his own.

In classic Alex Finlay form, If Something Happens to Me is told from several distinct, compelling characters whose paths intersect, detonating into a story of twist after pulse-pounding twist. The story cements Finlay as one of the leading thriller writers today.

#BookReview: American Queen (New Camelot #1) by Sierra Simone

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He wants me to be his queen...

Warned as a girl to keep her kisses to herself, Greer Galloway wants nothing to do with kisses--or love. Twice she's ignored the childhood warning and kissed a man, and both times ended in gutting, miserable heartbreak. Now she's sworn off all romance forever, determined to teach her classes and do her research and live out the rest of her days alone.

I want to be his everything.

But Ash Colchester hasn't sworn off Greer--not at all.  Still in love with the girl he once kissed in a circle of broken glass, this soldier-turned-President has never forgotten the taste of her lips or the sound of her whispered, yes, please against his mouth.  He's never forgotten the promises he wanted to make her and couldn't, because she was too young for him then, and far too innocent for the things he needs.  But he can't wait any longer . . .

But can this modern-day fairy tale have a happily ever after for three people?

Desperate to have her, Ash sends his best friend Embry to bring Greer to him, not knowing they have their own secrets, their own tragedies together.  Their own cravings . . .

Soon, Greer finds herself caught between past and present, pleasure and pain--and the two men who long for each other as much as they long for her. And as war and betrayal press ever closer, they tumble headlong into a passionate love affair that will change the world.

From the USA Today bestselling author of Priest and Misadventures of a Curvy Girl comes a contemporary reimagining of the legend of King Arthur, Guinevere, and Lancelot--elegant, carnal, and unforgettable.