Book Review: Ripped by Edie Harris

Title: Ripped
Series: Blood Money, Book 2
Author: Edie Harris
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Sensuality Rating: Steamy
Source: review copy provided via NetGalley
Published: May 18, 2015 by Carina Press

Attorney and political heavyweight Tobias Faraday is the Ice King, a man alone in the eye of a deadly storm. And in the wake of his sister’s torture, he’s out for blood.

The key to Tobias’s revenge is the disavowed British spy he’s kept imprisoned for weeks. Chandler McCallister can get him behind enemy lines in Russia, but the clever double-agent has a demand of her own before she puts her life on the line in the name of redemption.

Posing as Chandler’s boyfriend at an aristocratic wedding in the English countryside won’t kill Tobias. Not in theory.

As the threat of Moscow looms larger and the enemy reveals himself to be crueler than any human can imagine, Tobias reluctantly partners with his prisoner to derail the immediate threat—to their families, to Faraday Industries, and to their lives. What he finds in the process is a feverish, relentless need already melting the ice from his veins.

amazon | goodreads

Reviewed by: Babs

Book Review: Dixon’s Duty by Jenna Byrnes

Title: Dixon’s Duty
Series: Kansas City Heat, Book 1
Author: Jenna Byrnes
Genre: Romantic Suspense, M/M Romance
Sensuality Rating: Erotic
Source: bought
Published: May 9, 2014 by Pride Publishing

A serial rapist and murderer on the loose. Will Kansas City’s finest solve the case before the madman strikes again?

Detective James Dixon is determined to track down the most recent serial killer terrorising the people of Kansas City. The chase leads him to the Last Chance Bar and Grille, where he meets and immediately falls for the sexy owner, Bryan Scott. But things at the bar aren’t exactly as they seem.

No one there remembers seeing the latest victim the night before she was brutally murdered. So why do the clues keep pointing back to the Last Chance? When the attacks strike close to home, Dix and Bryan must work together to save the next victim and whatever chance they have for happiness.

amazon | goodreads

Reviewed by: Crissy

Book Review: Snowcroft Safehouse by Christi Snow

Title: Snowcroft Safehouse
Series: Snowcroft, Book 2
Author: Christi Snow
Genre: Romantic Suspense, M/M Romance
Sensuality Rating: Erotic
Source: Review copy provided by author
Published: April 24, 2015 (self-published)

A year ago Declan Jasper was entertaining sold-out arena crowds as the lead singer of Black Rainbows. But that came to an explosive end when the band got caught up in a criminal cover-up, one that ended with the entire band dead. At least that’s what everyone is supposed to think.

Now, Dex is hiding in plain sight, working as the school band director in a sleepy little mountain resort town while under the protection of a hard-nosed FBI agent. Instead of eyeliner and black leather, he now wears glasses and corduroy. Instead of having sexy coeds—both male and female—throw themselves into his bed, he’s dealing with teenage angst and grumpy parents.

At the top of his troubles list is Kelsey Walker, a junior high bundle of rare musical talent in the form of one confused, messed-up adolescent. Dex figures the problem comes from her broken home and wants to help. But when he meets her father, sexy bar-owner, Jack Walker, he realizes that instead of helping he’s probably just bringing more trouble and danger to their door.

Dex has to stay alive until the trial to bring his bandmates’ murderers to justice, but can he do that if it means sacrificing his own happily ever after?

amazon | goodreads

Reviewed by: J9 and Crissy

Book Review: Crash & Burn by Abigail Roux

Title: Crash & Burn
Series: Cut & Run, Book 9
Author: Abigail Roux
Genre: Romantic Suspense, M/M Romance
Sensuality Rating: Erotic
Source: Bought
Published: March 28, 2015 by Riptide Publishing

It’s been five years since Special Agents Ty Grady and Zane Garrett first worked together to solve the Tri-State murders, and time has been both harsh and kind. Engaged now, they face the challenge of planning a deeply uncertain future together. Zane is at the pinnacle of his career with one last mystery to solve, while Ty is at sea in a world where he’s no longer the tip of a spear.

There’s just one more hurdle in the way of their happy ever after: a traitor from their inner circle who threatens to burn their world to the ground.

Squeezed between the Vega cartel, an unknown mole, and too many alphabet agencies to count, Ty and Zane must gather all their strength and resources to beat the longest odds they’ve ever faced. To make it out alive, they’ll need help from every friend they’ve got. Even the friends who might betray their trust.

amazon | goodreads

Reviewed by: J9

Book Review: Whatcha Gonna Do With a Cowboy by Jodi Linton

Title: Whatcha Gonna Do With a Cowboy
Series: Deputy Laney Briggs, #1.5
Author: Jodi Linton
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Sensuality Rating: Erotic
Source: review copy provided by author
Published: August 18, 2014 by Entangled Ignite

Some cowboys are worth getting dirty for.

In her latest adventure, sassy Deputy Laney Briggs discovers the local high school football coach passed out under the stadium bleachers wearing nothing but a smile…and his wife’s lingerie.

Things really start to get wild when she runs into the smoking hot Federal Marshal, Colt Larsen, snooping around the Granger’s house. Quicker than a cold snap comes and goes in Texas, Laney finds herself up to her eyeballs in a case involving a ruthless motorcycle gang, a Mexican drug cartel, a kidnapping, and a shoot-out to rival the O.K. Corral.

In over their heads, Laney calls in the big guns—her very own Texas Ranger, Gunner Wilson, who’s ready to fulfill every last one of her desires. But as things heat up between them, the stakes get higher than ever, and Gunner’s help may not be enough for Laney to get out alive…

amazon | goodreads

 

Reviewed by: Babs

Book Review: Fair Play by Josh Lanyon

Title: Fair Play
Series: All’s Fair, Book 2
Author: Josh Lanyon
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romantic Suspense, M/M Romance
Sensuality Rating: Erotic
Source: review copy provided via NetGalley
Published: November 10, 2014 by Carina Press

Fifty years ago, Roland Mills belonged to a violent activist group. Now, someone is willing to kill to prevent him from publishing his memoirs.

When ex-FBI agent Elliot Mills is called out to examine the charred ruins of his childhood home, he quickly identifies the fire for what it is--arson. A knee injury may have forced Elliot out of the Bureau, but it's not going to stop him from bringing the man who wants his father dead to justice.

Agent Tucker Lance is still working to find the serial killer who's obsessed with Elliot and can't bear the thought of his lover putting himself in additional danger. Straightlaced Tucker has never agreed with radical Roland on much--"opposing political viewpoints" is an understatement--but they're united on this: Elliot needs to leave the case alone. Now.

Tucker would do nearly anything for the man he loves, but he won't be used to gain Elliot access to the FBI's resources. When the past comes back to play and everything both men had known to be true is questioned, their fragile relationship is left hanging in the balance.

Reviewed by: Crissy

Book Review: No Boundaries by S.E. Jakes

Title: No Boundaries
Series: Phoenix, Inc., Book 1
Author: S.E. Jakes
Genre: Romantic Suspense, M/M Romance
Sensuality Rating: Erotic
Source: review copy provided via NetGalley
Published: November 18, 2014 by Samhain Publishing

When your past closes in, running isn’t always an option
The jobs Marcus Lowry works for at Phoenix, Inc. Investigations are quick and easy, and they don’t give him the nightmares his days as a CIA operative did. That is, until he gets involved in a case that grabs him by the throat and won’t let go.

Cole Jacobs left behind his old life on the streets to make a name for himself rebuilding high-end and vintage cars and bikes. But when a stalker threatens to kill him—and to hurt anyone who stands in his way—his past closes in on him, and he’s not sure where to turn.

The last thing Marcus wants to do is take on a charity case, and to say that he and Cole don’t see eye to eye at first is putting things mildly. But when the first attempt on Cole’s life nearly kills them both, Marcus realizes that Cole is in real danger, and Cole is forced to reveal everything. Almost everything. Because Cole’s deepest secrets could destroy them both.

Book Review: Riding Temptation by Jaci Burton

Title: Riding Temptation
Series: Wild Riders, Book 2
Author: Jaci Burton
Genre: Romantic Suspense, MC Romance
Sensuality Rating: Erotic
Source: library
Published: October 7, 2008 by Berkley Books

He’s a biker working undercover for the Feds. She has reasons of her own for joining the Wild Riders. Together, they’re burning up the asphalt and tearing headlong into danger and passion.

The guys always thought of Jessie as their kid sister, except Diaz Delgado. The past few years he’s been watching her–and Jessie’s glad somebody is. Delgado’s dark good looks and killer body have tempted her since day one. Diaz’s unbrotherly urges have been hard to fight but the last thing he wants is to hurt Jessie. But when they both go undercover with killer survivalists, he knows it’ll be hard to keep his distance–especially when the mission takes a risky turn. Now Diaz has no choice but to open himself up to the one woman strong enough to take him on.

Reviewed By: Laura

Book Review: Keep Me Safe by Maya Banks

Title: Keep Me Safe
Series: Slow Burn, Book 1
Author: Maya Banks
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Sensuality Rating: ? (didn’t get far enough to find out)
Source: review copy provided by publisher
Published: October 7, 2014 by Avon

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. . . .

Reviewed By: Monica

Book Review: Riding Dirty by Jill Sorenson

Title: Riding Dirty
Series: Dirty Eleven, Book 1
Author: Jill Sorenson
Genre: Romantic Suspense, MC Romance
Sensuality Rating: Erotic
Source: review copy provided by author
Published: October 1, 2014 by Harlequin HQN

He's her weapon of choice...

Psychologist Mia Richards wants revenge. Her new client, tattooed Cole "Shank" Shepherd, provides the perfect means. She just has to manipulate the felon-turned-informant into eliminating her husband's killers—members of Cole's rival motorcycle club. The first step, seducing Cole, is simple. As for walking away before she falls hard—it's already too late.…

Dirty Eleven practically raised Cole, and he plans to double-cross the cops rather than sell them out. But smart, sexy Mia is an irresistible distraction. While she's evaluating his mind, all he can think about is her body… until he discovers her true intentions. Walking a fine line between desire and betrayal, they'll have to outrun her past, his enemies and the law for a love that's dangerously real.

Reviewed By: Babs

Book Review: The Real Thing by Susann Oriel

Title: The Real Thing
Author: Susann Oriel
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Sensuality Rating: Steamy
Source: review copy provided by publisher
Published: September 8, 2014 Crimson Romance

Top art expert Gemma Gilmore can easily spot a fake from across a crowded gallery. So she wonders why the smoking-hot man standing alone in the far corner of the auction room isn’t bidding. She and her killer five-inch pumps vow to find out.

Mac Buchanan is on an undercover assignment that leaves no room for small talk and soft emotions. When one of the expensive paintings Gemma authenticated turns out to be a fake, he’s the prime investigator, and he’s determined not to let her breathtaking sex appeal whitewash a serious crime.

But even facing off over a $50 million art fraud case isn’t enough to contain their blazing sexual chemistry. Time and again, passion draws them together, but they’re driven apart by an ever-increasing web of lies, set-ups, and betrayals.

When the truth behind the fraud is revealed, will their relationship shatter or will they discover their intense connection is the real thing?

Reviewed By: Laura

Book Review: Mercy by HelenKay Dimon

Title: Mercy
Series: Holton Woods, Book 1
Author: HelenKay Dimon
Genre: Contemporary Romance, M/M Romance, Romantic Suspense
Sensuality Rating: Steamy
Source: review copy provided by publisher
Published: May 6, 2014 by Berkley

After she infiltrated his business and betrayed his trust, a disavowed CIA agent must seek sanctuary in the bedroom of a man who will either help her, kill her, or bring her to her knees…

Becca Ford is on her own. Eight months after she headed up a sting operation to take down millionaire club owner Jarrett Holt, the other agents in her special ops team have been eliminated under odd circumstances, and she needs a place to hide.

Jarrett is a man who prefers darkness to light. He deals in the only truly valuable currency—information—and his supper club caters to an exclusive clientele. It was an uncharacteristic moment of weakness when he let a woman into his life. But it’s not luck that the criminal charges disappeared . . . as did the evidence.

When Becca returns to the club seeking his help, Jarrett doesn’t want to hear her story. But he does want her body, and demands that she give it to him. He’ll keep her safe—for now—but it’ll be in his bed and on his terms, until he says they’re done.

Book Review: Wild Loving by N.J. Walters

Title: Wild Loving
Author: N.J. Walters
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Sensuality Rating: Steamy
Source: review copy provided by publisher
Published: May 23, 2014 by Ellora’s Cave

Broke and homeless, Eliza Hart is at the end of her rope. She’s spent the last year of her life trying to evade a dangerous stalker. In desperation, she turns to the man she once loved, the man who walked away from her without a backward glance—Rabb Hatter.

Rabb is shocked when Eliza shows up at Hatter’s—the club he co-owns with his brother—looking for a job. He’d left her and hadn’t looked back when he’d thought she’d cheated on him with another man. Now he discovers that not only did Jason Ware lie, but he’s been stalking Eliza the whole time. The spark between them certainly hasn’t died, and when Rabb learns she’s lost everything, he’s determined to protect her. But first he must overcome the pain of their past and convince her she’s right to trust him with her heart.

Reviewed By: Babs

Book Review: A Hunted Man by Jaime Reese

Title: A Hunted Man
Series: The Men of Halfway House, Book 2
Author: Jaime Reese
Genre: Romantic Suspense, M/M Romance
Sensuality Rating: Erotic
Source: Review copy provided by author
Published: April 29, 2014 by Romandeavor

After surviving ten years in prison, Cameron Pierce is attempting to put the past behind him. He tries to adjust to his newfound freedom with a place at the halfway house and a job. But one lesson he learned in prison keeps him guarded: hope is a dangerous thing.

Hunter Donovan, Assistant State Attorney, is a man of justice who loves a challenge. After a lifetime of putting his career first, a milestone brings him to a harsh realization—he's lonely.

Hunter's world changes when he meets Cam. The wary young man intrigues him and awakens a desire unlike anything he's ever experienced. When Cam's past resurfaces and threatens to rip them apart, their budding relationship is challenged and Cam's hope for a future begins to dim.

These outside forces hunting Cam will stop at nothing to send him back to prison. But they'll have to get past Hunter first.

Book Review: Stranger on the Shore by Josh Lanyon

Title: Stranger on the Shore
Author: Josh Lanyon
Genre: Romantic Suspense, M/M Romance
Sensuality Rating: Erotic
Source: Review copy provided via NetGalley
Published: May 5, 2014 by Carina Press

Twenty years ago young Brian Arlington, heir to Arlington fortune, was kidnapped. Though the ransom was paid, the boy was never seen again and is presumed dead. Pierce Mather, the family lawyer, now administers and controls the Arlington billions. He's none too happy, and more than a little suspicious, when investigative journalist Griffin Hadley shows up to write about the decades-old mystery. Griff shrugs off the coldly handsome Pierce's objections, but it might not be so easy to shrug off the objections of someone willing to do anything to keep the past buried.

Book Review: Concealed in Death by J.D. Robb

Title: Concealed in Death
Series: In Death, Book 38
Author: J.D. Robb
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Sensuality Rating: Sensual
Source: bought
Published: February 18, 2014 by Putnam

In a decrepit, long-empty New York building, Lieutenant Eve Dallas’s husband begins the demolition process by swinging a sledgehammer into a wall. When the dust clears, there are two skeletons wrapped in plastic behind it. He summons his wife immediately—and by the time she’s done with the crime scene, there are twelve murders to be solved.

The place once housed a makeshift shelter for troubled teenagers, back in the mid-2040s, and Eve tracks down the people who ran it. Between their recollections and the work of the force’s new forensic anthropologist, Eve begins to put names and faces to the remains. They are all young girls. A tattooed tough girl who dealt in illegal drugs. The runaway daughter of a pair of well-to-do doctors. They all had their stories. And they all lost their chance for a better life.

Then Eve discovers a connection between the victims and someone she knows. And she grows even more determined to reveal the secrets of the place that was called The Sanctuary—and the evil concealed in one human heart.

Reviewed By: Babs

Book Review: Snowcroft Lost by Christi Snow

Title: Snowcroft Lost
Series: Snowcroft, Book 1
Author: Christi Snow
Genre: Romantic Suspense, M/M Romance
Sensuality Rating: Erotic
Source: review copy provided by author
Published: March 19, 2014 (self-published)

Secrets and Lies…
Everyone has them. Big ones. Little ones.

For Trevor Mayne and Jamie Vaughn, secrets and lies are how they’ve made their fourteen year friendship work. Don’t talk about it. Ignore it and it won’t be real. Pretend like everything’s fine between the two of them.

Jamie can’t live like this anymore. He’s in love with Trevor, his best friend who just happens to be straight. Tired of hiding his feelings, he decides to walk away. From their friendship. From his hometown. From his business.

But before Jamie gets a chance to leave, a freak accident leaves Trevor with amnesia. A new blank perspective leaves him confused about the inconsistencies of what he’s told his life should be vs. the feelings that he knows he has. Now those secrets and lies, that should be safer than ever, are suddenly front and center and changing everything between them.

Their world is at risk because their secrets and lies aren’t the only ones at play here. There’s a bigger lie out there and it could just destroy everything as they get closer and closer to the secret hidden in depths of the Snowcroft forest.

Book Review: Angel’s Hero and Angel’s Truth by Liz Borino

Title: Angel’s Hero and Angel’s Truth
Series: Angel, Books 1 & 2
Author: Liz Borino
Genre: Romantic Suspense, M/M Romance
Sensuality Rating: Erotic
Source: review copy provided via NetGalley
Published: February 26, 2014 by Lazy Day

Blurb from Angel’s Hero:

CIA Agent Aaron “Angel” Collins doesn’t take many things on faith. He trusts his gut, his eyes, and his husband, Jordan, an Army Captain. When his commanding officers deliver news of Jordan’s death, Aaron needs proof. The facts don’t add up, and Aaron must decide if he can trust Major General Troy Hart to assist in his quest to discover the truth.

Captain Jordan Collins is battered and disheartened in an Afghanistan prison, but definitely not dead, though he learns his own government believes he is. His only mission now is to stay alive and make it home to Angel, if he can find an ally among the enemy. But someone in the US government will stop at nothing to make sure he never leaves that prison, And Jordan must reevaluate the lines between friend and foe if he is ever to return to his Angel.

Book Review: Badlands by Jill Sorenson

Title: Badlands
Series: Aftershock, Book 3
Author: Jill Sorenson
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Sensuality Rating: Steamy
Source: review copy provided via NetGalley
Published: December 31, 2013 by Harlequin

Love is the most dangerous territory of all . . .

Every day, bodyguard Owen Jackson puts his life on the line — and keeps his feelings for Penny Sandoval locked away. Assigned to protect Penny's father, a presidential candidate, Owen can't get emotionally involved. That is, until Penny and her young son, Cruz, are abducted and taken deep into the California badlands.

Owen knows the bleak territory from his childhood. Worse, he knows the gang leader making ransom demands — his own brother, Shane. When a terrified Penny escapes into the desert with Cruz, Owen has to save her: from the elements and from the gang in close pursuit. Owen has hidden the darkness in his past from Penny. Now his only chance of keeping her alive is to let her see the man he really is — even if it means losing the only woman he'll ever want.

Book Review: Dirty Deeds by S.E. Jakes

Title: Dirty Deeds
Series: Dirty Deeds, Book 1
Author: S.E. Jakes
Genre: Romantic Suspense, M/M Romance
Sensuality Rating: Erotic
Source: review copy provided via NetGalley
Published: January 13, 2014 by Riptide Publishing

Two seasoned operatives finally meet their match: each other.

Cillian works for the mysterious Special Branch 20: an organization that runs black ops commissioned by the British government. His specialty is deep undercover assignments with virtually no support. He’s been alone for so long that he no longer knows anything else.

Mal’s also used to being alone. Wanted in several states and even more countries, he’s not allowed in the vicinity of any of his former Navy SEAL teammates. And his current assignment is to track Cillian in order to discover the spook’s endgame. Except he’s no longer sure which one of them is getting played.

Cillian isn’t about to let the mission that’s consumed him for the past several years crumble because an outsider is poking around where he doesn’t belong. But Mal forces his way through Cillian’s defenses—and into his heart—exposing a devastating betrayal that could destroy them both.