Review — Keep Her Safe by K.A. Tucker

Publisher: Atria Books 

Published: January 23, 2018

Genre:Romantic Suspense

Source: E-ARC

Rating: 4 Stars

Goodreads 

Blurb:
Noah Marshall has had a privileged life thanks to his mother, the highly decorated chief of the Austin Police Department. But all that changes the night she reveals a skeleton that’s been rattling in her closet for years: she doesn’t deserve her commendations or her medals—in fact, she deserves to be locked behind bars for what she did to a fellow officer to save her own reputation. When she finally succumbs to the guilt of destroying an innocent family’s life, she leaves Noah alone to carry the burden of this shocking secret, which she makes him vow never to share.

Gracie Reynolds wasn’t born into trailer park life, but after ten years of learning how to survive in The Hollow, it’s all she knows anymore. At least here people don’t care that she is a byproduct of a white mother and a black father. And they certainly don’t care that her dad was a corrupt Austin cop. Here, she and her mother can almost forget the shame he brought upon them…until a man who clearly doesn’t belong shows up on her doorstep one night, asking questions.

Together, Noah and Gracie set out to uncover the truth about the Austin police department’s dark and messy past­—but the scandal they uncover is bigger than they bargained for, and goes far higher up than they ever imagined. 

Review:

“Keep her safe, will you? There are times when a book is so predictable that it’s funny. I can usually take good guesses as to what can happen; but unfortunately, I had NO IDEA what was happening in the book. K.A. Tucker writes a thrilling novel that literally keeps you on your toes until the very end. Keep Her Safe is not predictable at all, and I think it’s a pretty great thing that I chose this story as my first ever by the author. I’m totally kicking myself for not reading sooner. That being said, I do have all her books! So there is that. I think the book started off somewhat slow. It took me a second to realize that this is the type of book to be savored. Noah and Grace are two completely different people that are connected in so many ways. Noah is the nice guy; the one you can always depend on. Grace is more hard headed and stubborn. She doesn’t trust easily and she’s bitter. For good reason. She grew up believing one thing; then all of a sudden she’s being told that everything she thought was true, isn’t. It can be somewhat confusing but I think she took it all in good stride. What I thought was particularly cool was that the book is told in alternating POVs between Noah, Grace, and at times both Jackie and Abe. Jackie is the mother of Noah, while Abe is the father of Grace. Everything connects with each other  and it was fun seeing it all come together. The subject matter is dark. And scary. That’s all I’ll comment on about that. Overall, I think Keep Her Safe is definitely a story worth reading. Especially when you get a hero such as Noah! *Thank you to the publisher for providing a copy for an honest and unbiased review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Buy: Amazon Amazon UK About the Author: K.A. Tucker writes captivating stories with an edge. She is the USA Today bestselling author of 16 books, including Ten Tiny Breaths and Burying Water, and her upcoming Adult Suspense novel, Keep Her Safe. Her books have been featured in national publications including USA Today, Globe & Mail, Suspense Magazine, and Publisher's Weekly. K.A. Tucker currently resides in a quaint town outside of Toronto with her husband and two beautiful girls.

Review—Just Between Us by Rebecca Drake

Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin

Published: January 9, 2017

Genre: Suspense 

Source: Finished copy 

Rating: 4 Stars

Goodreads

Blurb:
Four suburban mothers and friends conspire to cover up a deadly crime in this heart-stopping novel of suspense in the tradition of Lisa Scottoline and Lisa Unger.
Alison, Julie, Sarah, Heather. Four friends living the suburban ideal. Their jobs are steady, their kids are healthy. They’re as beautiful as their houses. But each of them has a dirty little secret, and hidden behind the veneer of their perfect lives is a crime and a mystery that will consume them all.
Everything starts to unravel when Alison spots a nasty bruise on Heather’s wrist. She shares her suspicions with Julie and Sarah, compelling all three to investigate what looks like an increasingly violent marriage. As mysterious injuries and erratic behavior mount, Heather can no longer deny the abuse, but she refuses to leave her husband. Desperate to save her, Alison and the others dread the phone call telling them that she’s been killed. But when that call finally comes, it’s not Heather who’s dead. In a moment they’ll come to regret, the women must decide what lengths they’ll go to in order to help a friend.

Just Between Us is a thrilling glimpse into the underbelly of suburbia, where not all neighbors can be trusted, and even the closest friends keep dangerous secrets. You never really know what goes on in another person’s mind, or in their marriage.

Review:

“This is the way of fate—all of these pieces that must slot into place, one leading to the other, a progression toward a conclusion that seems inevitable only after the fact.”

O. M. G. That was seriously messed up—but in a good way! I knew once I’d been contacted to read and review the book, that I would enjoy it. ‘Just Between Us’ tells the story of four friends that are tested when they notice one of their friends is in need of saving. What happens when said friend doesn’t want any help being saved? More importantly, the question begs to be answered—what would you do as a human being if you noticed someone you love was being hurt? Things are not always what they seem.

“You never know what happens behind closed doors.”

This quote in the story is very true, I’ve come to find. Do we ever really know someone? Like truly know everything? In this particular thriller, we follow Allison, Sarah, Julie, and Heather. These four became friends and bonded over their love of coffee and having children around the same age. One day, Allison, being the observant one, notices bruises that look very much like finger marks on Heather’s wrist. Which could only mean one thing—she’s being abused. It’s confirmed when Heather makes up a bogus excuse as to why it’s there. Cue Allison, Julie, and Sarah all becoming deeply suspicious.

There’s even more proof as the weeks go by. The three friends want nothing more to help their damsel in distress. But again, you can’t help someone who doesn’t want to be helped. Then one night changes absolutely everything. Who can the women trust? Are they being watched? So many questions that I just had to get to the bottom of! I felt like I was reading the adult version to Pretty Little Liars, except with a better story line. (This is not a knock on PPL, I love those books too!)

I stayed up all night to read. It was one of those instances where I knew I would love the book from the very first page. Overall, I think readers will love this fast-paced thriller that keeps you on your toes. The novel touches heavily on friendship. I liked that a lot. It showed us all the high and lows that come when people are faced with tragedy. While a bit predictable at times, I was still surprised with the ending revelations. I now feel like I need a new suspense novel to tide me over until I get my fix!

“We are all the damned and we are all the saved.”

*Thank you to the publisher for providing a copy for an honest and unbiased review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Buy the Book:

Amazon 

Amazon UK

About the Author:
Rebecca Drake moves to hardcover with her breakout psychological thriller ONLY EVER YOU. She is the author of three other suspense novels, DON’T BE AFRAID, THE NEXT KILLING, and THE DEAD PLACE, as well as the short story, Loaded, which was featured in PITTSBURGH NOIR. She is a Penn State grad and an instructor in Seton Hill University’s Writing Popular Fiction M.F.A. program. A native New Yorker, Rebecca has also lived in Indiana, Ohio, Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey and Qatar and currently lives in Pittsburgh, PA with her husband and two children.

Review - GONE TO DUST (Gravediggers #2) by Liliana Hart

Publisher: Pocket Books

Published: June 20,2017

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Source: Print ARC

Rating: 3 Stars

GOODREADS

Blurb:

The Gravediggers aren’t exactly what they seem. They’re the most elite of the world’s fighting forces—and all they have in common is that they’ve been betrayed by the countries they’ve died for. Because they are dead. To their country, their military, and their families.

Sometimes the dead do rise....

Miller Darling is one of the most popular romance novelists of her time. Not bad for a woman who doesn’t believe in romance. She’s as logical as they come, and she doesn’t believe in happily-ever-afters. What she does believe in is family, so when her brother disappears, she doesn’t think twice about packing her bag and her laptop and heading out to find him.

Elias Cole lived and breathed the life of a Navy SEAL. Now he’s “dead” and his hero’s honor tarnished. The only thing keeping him sane are the men who are like him—The Gravediggers—and the woman who makes his head spin. He’s never met anyone like Miller Darling. Her smart mouth and quick wit keep him on his toes, and damned if he doesn’t find that appealing.

When Miller receives a package from the brother who abandoned her asking for help, it’s clear she’s in over her head with the mess he’s gotten himself into. She needs a professional, and Elias is just the man for the job. Only her brother is a former SEAL—the man who left his team to die—and Elias is more interested in vengeance than saving his life.

Review:

I liked that better than I thought I would. And let me tell you, Elias is HOT. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about him and Miller of course. Which brings me to Miller, I liked her unique name. She was a riot and it was nice being in her head where her inner dialogue was interesting, to say the least. Miller is a novelist and Elias is a gravedigger. He's the perfect type of broody!

The two are thrown together when Miller's brother turns up missing. To make it a tad bit awkward, the two aren't exactly happy to work together since Elias left Miller high and dry. So to speak. If you ask me, that's about as rude as you can get, leaving someone wanting...more. But the dialogue and interaction between them was well worth it. 

If you haven't read this series yet, I suggest you do. They are a fast and quick read. One that will keep you reading until the very end. It's highly entertaining and it has some major swoon moments that you're unlikely to forget anytime soon! I'm more than excited to get the next book to read!

*Thank you to the publisher for providing a copy for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

BUY:

Amazon

Amazon UK

About the Author:

Liliana Hart spent five years teaching music in the public education system. She molded America’s youth, busted kids for smoking pot in the restrooms, and broke up illicit affairs behind the stage on a regular basis. (Liliana’s Addison Holmes Mystery Series, about a small town teacher who gets into a whole lot of trouble, is somewhat autobiographical, but she won’t confess to which parts).

Liliana began reading romance novels with all her new found free time, and when she ran out of things to read, she decided to write her own novels. The result was a 150,000 word thriller—a dazzling adventure—where the heroine was a thirty-year-old virgin assassin (Yes, you read that right). She couldn’t imagine why people weren’t knocking down her door to read it, but she persevered and began writing a second book. She finally got the hang of things, and eventually learned that losing one’s virginity wasn’t all that romantic after all. All of her books involve some kind of suspense (she just can't help herself), laughter, and a lot of steamy sex. 

Since the failure of her first attempt, Liliana’s books have won awards such as: The Daphne Du Maurier, The Suzannah, The Linda Howard Award of Excellence, The Maggie, and many others. Her affiliations include Romance Writers of America and Mystery Writers of America. 

Liliana loves to cook, and is addicted to reading, Internet Boggle, kickboxing, and Bones. She lives in a big, rambling house in Texas with a couple of cats to keep her company. She loves to get emails from readers.

Enjoy the Adventures!

Review: The Lemoncholy Life of Annie Aster by Scott Wilbanks

Publisher- Sourcebooks Landmark

Published- August 4, 2015

Genre- Time Travel Adult

Source- Print ARC

Rating- 5 Stars

Goodreads- http://bit.ly/1IeVRxY

Blurb:

Annabelle Aster doesn’t bow to convention—not even that of space and time—which makes the 1890s Kansas wheat field that has appeared in her modern-day San Francisco garden easy to accept. Even more peculiar is Elsbeth, the truculent schoolmarm who sends Annie letters through the mysterious brass mailbox perched on the picket fence that now divides their two worlds.

Annie and Elsbeth’s search for an explanation to the hiccup in the universe linking their homes leads to an unsettling discovery—and potential disaster for both of them. Together they must solve the mystery of what connects them before one of them is convicted of a murder that has yet to happen…and yet somehow already did.

Review-

Time travel. Murder. Mayhem. Magic. The Lemoncholy Life of Annie Aster is full of twist and turns you should but won't see coming. This is one of those books where the synopsis doesn't do it justice; it's one of those ones that surprise you. It's hard to believe this is a debut novel! I wish the story didn't have to end because I fell in love with the characters as if they were my own friends and family. In the beginning I had no idea how everything would come together and it had me a bit skeptical. But I shouldn't have feared anything because it ended up being a damn good story. 

Annabelle lives a somewhat lonely yet peaceful life. When she buys a door at an antique shop, her life will forever be changed. In her own backyard in the middle of San Francisco, mysteriously lies a cabin along with a wheat field. Annie's life is forever changed when she receives a letter from a woman by the name of Elsbeth Grundy. Even more amazing, it's dated back from eighteen ninety-five. What would you do if you received a letter that seemed to have come from another time? Well, you write back of course! 

Here starts the wonderful story where life gets tons more complicated for Annie and gang. She'll be tested beyond anything she could imagine. And when she tries to stop a murder from happening, she'll have to go back in time to try and clear Elsbeth and her from a murder she didn't commit. Along the way, Annie meets some young kids that are willing to help her frame a very bad man. Not only will it benefit Annie and Elsbeth, it will also help them out too. 

I can't tell you how much I enjoyed reading this. My eyes were glued to the pages as if my life depended on it. Overall, I suggest this book to readers who enjoy a good plot and even better
character building. Time travel has always been confusing to me and it still is. But I loved every
minute of the story. I look forward to reading more from the author and can't wait to see what he comes up with next!

*Thank you to the publisher for providing a copy for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Buy Links:

Amazon- http://amzn.to/1VX9VDo

Amazon UK- http://amzn.to/1VXa8qh

About the Author:

They say, “Write what you know.” Who ‘they’ may be still remains a mystery, but I took the advice to heart when I wrote a book about five misfits who found themselves walking a path I trod daily, seeking understanding in an indifferent world, but more on that later.

With my life constantly pushed and pulled by a pair of opposing bugaboos—ADD and drive—I surprised myself by graduating summa cum laude from The University of Oklahoma while also garnering a handful of titles in the sport of gymnastics.

Life-changing accidents, lost loves, and an unremarkable career path followed, that is until a lawsuit and Mike changed everything. The lawsuit motivated me to step away from my career. Mike added the extra push, convincing me to take a leap of faith, and move to the country of his birth, New Zealand, while also encouraging me to “see where this writing will take me.”

Review: THE BOURBON KINGS (The Bourbon Kings, #1) by J.R. Ward

 Publisher: Penguin

Published: July 28, 2015

Genre: Contemporary romance

Source: Print Arc

Rating: 5 Stars

GOODREADS

 Blurb:
The #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Black Dagger Brotherhood delivers the first novel in an enthralling new series set amid the shifting dynamics of a Southern family defined by wealth and privilege—and compromised by secrets, deceit, and scandal....

For generations, the Bradford family has worn the mantle of kings of the bourbon capital of the world. Their sustained wealth has afforded them prestige and privilege—as well as a hard-won division of class on their sprawling estate, Easterly. Upstairs, a dynasty that by all appearances plays by the rules of good fortune and good taste. Downstairs, the staff who work tirelessly to maintain the impeccable Bradford facade. And never the twain shall meet.

For Lizzie King, Easterly’s head gardener, crossing that divide nearly ruined her life. Falling in love with Tulane, the prodigal son of the bourbon dynasty, was nothing that she intended or wanted—and their bitter breakup only served to prove her instincts were right. Now, after two years of staying away, Tulane is finally coming home again, and he is bringing the past with him. No one will be left unmarked: not Tulane’s beautiful and ruthless wife; not his older brother, whose bitterness and bad blood know no bounds; and especially not the ironfisted Bradford patriarch, a man with few morals, fewer scruples, and many, many terrible secrets.

As family tensions—professional and intimately private—ignite, Easterly and all its inhabitants are thrown into the grips of an irrevocable transformation, and only the cunning will survive.

Review:

"You have always, and will always, matter most to me."

The Bourbon Kings was one hell of a ride. It's no surprise that the writing and storytelling were phenomenal. As sad as this is going to sound—it's my first time reading J.R. Ward. I know, I know, cue the tomatoes that need to be thrown at me. But before you do, know that I do have all of her Blackdagger Brotherhood books. I've started the first one right as soon as I finished The Bourbon Kings. As I've said about the writing, it's absolutely addicting. It's like her words beg you to keep reading them. I was only too happy to oblige.

Even though I read the synopsis, I really had no idea what I was getting myself into or what to expect. The story started off too slow for my tastes but never enough for me to want to put the book down. It's addicting, remember? Once the ball got rolling, it was on! I didn't and most importantly couldn't stop reading. Tulane Bradford and Lizzie King have a past and will come face to face after two years apart. Lane was dating Lizzie in secret when Lizzie heard through an announcement that Lane was getting married. Hence not seeing each other talking for two years.

But he's back. He'll finally come face to face with the love of his life, Lizzie. After everything that's happened, there's no way in hell that she could ever forgive him. Shes just starting to forgive him when she hears that he's coming back to his family's estate. The place where Lizzie has worked as the head gardener for the past ten years. It would be best avoided him at all costs but like a moth to a flame...

Easier said then done.

We are introduced to many more complex characters that kept me reading until the wee hours of the night. We have the Bradford siblings; Edward, Maxwell, Tulane, and Virginia. Their family friend and lawyer, Samuel T, Sutton, heiress to the competition in the bourbon business, and Shelby. All these characters have stories to tell. Are there too many? In my opinion, no. I really felt like all the story lines were like an addicting soap opera. You get to a point where you have to know what happens next. A storyline I look forward to reading more about is Samuel and Gin's. They have a hate/love relationship. And when I mean love/hate... From the little we did get of them, let's just say that it's going to be damn good.

There are many gasp-out loud moments, dark secrets, and scandals galore. Overall, I felt like I was in the story and will eagerly await for the next book. It's like the show Dallas, but in book form. If your looking for a book that has more than just your typical romance, then pick this one up. I'll just be sitting here waiting for the day that I can read more Bradford and company drama.

*Thank you to the publisher for providing a copy for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Buy Links:

 AMAZON

AMAZON UK

 

About the Author:
J.R. Ward is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of numerous novels, including the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. She lives in the South her family.