Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Amy's 4 star ARC Review of Craving Justice by Fiona Archer




Four Aussies in Seattle 
Once brothers 
Now strangers 
As an unseen enemy takes aim 
Four must stand as one for Justice to survive. 

A man branded by his past 

Seth Justice is tall, daring and dangerous. The former street kid from Sydney owns a thriving technology company in Seattle. But he has bigger goals―or should that be ghosts?―that drive him harder. On the verge of selling his business for a fortune, he’s celebrating when Harper Fox, daughter of the buyer, tumbles into his arms. The curvy café owner enchants him with her sassy personality. Soon they move from easy banter to a night of passion that reveals a sweet vulnerability in the soft-hearted woman. 

A woman determined to control her future 

After a lifetime of her domineering father’s scorn and rejection, Harper dances to her own beat. She has her café and surrounds herself with a chosen family of her eccentric staff and close friends. While she’s mostly content… her heart aches for more. But Harper has been burned before and doesn’t trust easily. That is, until a man with a panty-melting Aussie accent and a commanding stare entices her to take a chance—on him. When Seth takes charge in the bedroom and ties her control in knots, he awakens a need in Harper that leaves her hungry for more. 

A new beginning worth fighting for 

When an unseen enemy attacks the new life Seth and his brothers have built, the ensuing disaster tests not only his developing relationship with Harper, but also threatens to sever the last remaining bonds with his brothers. As Seth struggles to protect everything and everyone he loves, he has to determine if Harper is his enemy’s target—or accomplice. 











Craving Justice
Fiona Archer
4 stars

Seth Justice needs his brothers. Circumstances drove them apart but for the brothers to make it coming back together and possibly forgiving is a must. Seth is selling his phone app design and selling his soul to protect his employees. Negotiations are made and signed on the dotted line. Just as things are looking up Seth meets Harper. 

Harper has found her own way inside her café. Her father’s approval is not needed anymore. Her life is full except she hasn’t found her one. Trusting another man would be a detriment. Falling into this man's arms has her rethinking everything. 

Harper and Seth are finding their way around each other very intimately until events out of their control take over. Social media attacks, harsh messages, lies, betrayal and more give these two a run for their money along with Seth hanging on to his business contract. Someone is making this personal and its hitting Harper and Seth hard along with Seth’s brothers. 

There are great secondary characters in this first release. Harper’s friends are hilarious and beat to their own drum which I love. Seth’s brothers are some very interesting men to say the least. I look forward to the next book Tempting Justice due out in the Fall featuring Heath and London. 

Thank you for the ARC! Review to post to Ramblings From Beneath The Sheets. 

Amy's 3.5 star ARC Review of Justice (Bad Boys of X-Ops 2) by Rie Warren







Fight to win.
Fight to survive.
Fight for love?
 

JUSTICE 
Let’s face it. I’ve got a bad rep with the ladies. I’m a rough-talking, smooth-loving, international playboy—yeah right, whatever—and an X-Ops specialist. Sure, I’m hiding a secret or two. Who isn’t? That’s the least of my concerns when I’m called in to lead an infiltrate-and-retrieve mission. 

I’ve got my head in the game—the one firmly attached to my shoulders. An American embassy overseas is under siege, and I’m expecting to rescue the ambassador and his daughter, a stereotypical geeky damsel in distress, Matilda Lawless

Caught in the crossfire between explosive danger and wild desire, I’m in for the shock of my life. 

TILLY 
I’m not looking for any man to save me. I’m pretty damn capable of taking care of myself, thank you very much. I have a successful career and was practically born and bred on a gun range, even if I can’t bake a perfect biscuit to save my life like a good southern woman should. 

But there’s just something about that hardcore operative called Justice. He’s haunted and lonely, and I know that pain inside and out. It doesn’t hurt one little bit he’s been blessed with more than his fair share of good looks, plus a body that would make any red-blooded woman drool. 

Barricaded inside the embassy, under my father’s shrewd eyes, I intend to have Justice no matter how many times he says he’s not good enough. I see the way he watches me. With dirty, sexy, hungry lust. 

Fighting is what Justice does. Now I need him to fight for me. 

Warning: Graphic sex, graphic action, graphic language. Triple X caution.

Bad Boys of X-Ops—four part series:
Walker: April 5, 2016
Justice
Storm: Preorder now. May 23rd!
Bane: Coming soon
 












Justice (Bad Boys of X-Ops 2)
Rie Warren
3. 5 stars

So I loved the first release in this series but I just couldn’t get into Justice. The first couple pages had me all over the place and not understanding anything that was going on. I was confused and had no idea what was going on. The terms being used were too technical for me or needed too much brain power to function and sort out. When Im reading it’s a release for me. Of course I want a great story but I don’t want to have to backtrack and go back through what I just read. I do that enough at work. 

Having said that I love the characters we are meeting in this series and I won't quit reading them. I just couldn’t follow along. Maybe this summer when I'm out of school and things slow down I might go back and try again but I just couldn’t put that much work into it. 

I love Rie’s books and she is fantastic at what she does. I'm NOT saying I didn’t like Justice’s character. What I am saying is that the first several pages were too in depth for me and from that point on I think I just was lost on what the mission was or where it started from. 

If you want an very in depth and well researched read as far as technical terms then this read is for you. Justice is going in to rescue the ambassador and his daughter from the American Embassy overseas. There is certainly a suspenseful situation there and a love story ignites. 

Tilly our lead female is full of sass and spunk which I loved. She certainly is capable of taking care of herself but she wants the man standing in front of her to take her on and see what happens. I wish I could have read this maybe at a different time and things might have be different on the rating. Having said that I reserve the right to go back when Im free and clear of school and my mind might be working under less stress heading into the end of the school year! 

I am looking forward to the next release in this series and thank Rie for the ARC. Storm and Bane are up next each having their own stories as well. Review to post to Ramblings From Beneath The Sheets. 


Amy's 5 star ARC Review of Jack & Coke (Uncertain Saints MC 2) by Lani Lynn Vale






Lies 

Mig’s wife is a bitch. 

How else do you describe a woman that lies, cheats and steals to get what she wants? 

That’s exactly what happens when she traps him into a marriage he wants nothing to do with, saddling him with a kid that he knows doesn’t deserve to be in a world like his. 

He’s doing a pretty bang-up job at ignoring everything but his responsibilities as a DEA officer and a member of The Uncertain Saints MC. 

Then his neighbor knocks on his door, and everything he thought he knew is blown out the window. 

Deceit 

Annie teaches Mig that not every woman is out to get him. 

Her love for Mig stretches past what’s appropriate for two friends, and Annie soon straddles that invisible boundary between appropriate and inappropriate. 

Annie’s not a cheater, though. 

When she tries to say goodbye, Mig won’t let her leave, and soon the tiny town of Uncertain blows up with the news of Annie and Mig’s innocent friendship. 

Betrayal 

Matters of the heart are foreign to Mig, and it takes Annie being gutted for him to see the wrong he’s done. 

He waits too long, though, and Annie’s heart is broken. 

She wants it all, or she wants nothing. She can’t take anymore half-hearted attempts at being just friends. 

The heart wants what it wants, and it doesn’t take long for Mig to realize that. 

But just when Mig finally has it all in the palm of his hand, his life is ripped to shreds by a new player in the game, and it takes all of Annie’s love and devotion, as well as help from the men of The Uncertain Saint’s MC, to put Mig back together again.










Jack and Coke (Uncertain Saints MC 2)
Lani Lynn Vale
5 stars 

Ok first of all the cover … it's amazing right??!?!?!?!! -- I LOVE the neon lettering that draws your eyes right to the tattoos on Mig. Fantastic! 

Second – it's Lani and it’s the Uncertain Saints. Of course it’s a must read. But lord for real grab a Jack and Coke before you turn the pages on this one because holy smokes there is one nasty woman slithering through the pages on this read. 

In true form Lani gives us a man to die for. Mig is married to a lying, cheating and brutal woman who tricked him in more ways than one. To top it all off he knows exactly what she did and he still is being honorable. What?!?!?! Mig is taken with his neighbor Annie but there is not one ounce of cheating, touching, or anything until certain events take place. No that isn’t a spoiler because it happens quickly within the storyline but I'm telling you I wouldn’t have blamed him one bit. In fact I was mad he didn’t cross a line. 

Annie is in love with the man who lives next door but he is taken by an evil woman. She wont ever lay her hands on him or cross a line and neither will Mig. I LOVED Annie’s character. She is smart, sassy, and takes no prisoners. Her honesty is refreshing and she definitely tells it like it is. 
This is a great story and it kept me on my toes and guessing.

I also loved two of our secondary characters who were featured; Tasha and Casten. I have a feeling this is going to be a story of stories between these two or maybe not. If you go to Lani’s page you can see the cover of Vodka on the Rocks featuring Casten. UHHHH .. HELLLLLO THERE MR ENFORCER MAN. There is a snippet of a lady there in the synopsis but it doesn’t say who. Im dying! 

There is so much going on through the pages of Jack and Coke. I can't even begin to tell you the level of deceit and betrayal. I also loved fact that all the guys are back. You do not need to read the first release (Whiskey Neat) in this series but I have no idea why you wouldn’t. That just would not be smart. In fact if you haven’t read all of Lani’s other series you need to pick those up as well. I promise you they are all amazing. 

Thank you for the ARC Lani! We get Vodka On The Rocks in July and there is always more on tap when Lani is writing so be ready! Review to post to Ramblings From Beneath The Sheets. 


Amy's 5 star ARC Review of Whiskey Tribute (Trident Security 5.5) by Samantha Cole







Curt Bannerman never thought he’d have to follow through with a promise to ensure his best friend’s wife and children were taken care of in the event of Eric’s death after the two men retired from the Navy SEALs. But an assassin made the promise a reality. Eighteen months later he’s still keeping an eye on the family, however, somewhere along the line his feelings for the pretty widow have changed. 

Dana Prichard had been both a mother and a father for her children during her husband’s multiple deployments, but once Eric retired, she thought those days were over. Now she has to do it with no chance of him ever coming home again. While his SEAL teammates have been there for her since Eric’s death, one of them stands above the rest. The one man who is slowly invading her dreams. 

They started as friends, but now, both want more. Can they move past the feelings that they are betraying a dead man by wanting each other? Or is Eric always going to stand between them? 








Whiskey Tribute (Trident Security 5.5)
Samantha Cole
5 stars

This is a fantastic novella. Why .. well because it's with the men and their families we love so much but also because it focuses on something “true.” … Taking care of your own, never leaving a family of a fallen alone. 

Curt Bannerman promised his best friend Eric Prichard that he would take care of his wife and his 4 children if anything ever happened to him. The two survived countless missions and numerous close calls just to have Eric murdered by a man wanting revenge. It's been a year and a half since Eric was killed. Curt trying his best to stay away from Dana and the kids but the rotations that need covered he takes them, anything she needs he has her back … it's not okay. He didn’t promise Eric he would make her his … he was only supposed to take care of Dana and the kids. 

Dana Prichard is caught between feeling she is betraying her husband with the blips of thoughts she has for her husbands best friend. She quickly banishes them to the back of her mind feeling lost but always wanting to push forward but it's time for Dana to move on and find herself again. Curt was never to be an option. He lives in Daytona and has a successful business but yet he drops everything when she needs him or the kids need him. Is it friendship and the promise to her husband that keeps him coming back or is it more? 

This was a quick and beautiful read. Its different from our other Trident books but it's just as amazing. Whiskey Tribute holds true to its title. The men bound together by a brotherhood like no other and the meaning of that bond runs deep in this release. I loved the storyline of course but the most telling part of the book is the flashback and tribute to Eric at his ceremony. I have looked into the blood shot eyes of men who lost one of their own and it’s the most heartbreaking glimpse into their tormented memories of the fallen. 

Samantha writes us amazing stories and once again we have been given a gift. If you read the “disclaimer” for lack of a better word on the front pages of her books she posts her respect for the members of the United States Military and varied members of law enforcement. I cannot think of any better way for her to shed light on these heroic men and women. If you notice, although her stories are fiction, Samantha always seems to put a deeper message into her books. No, Im not crazy. It’s a message of what it means to serve your county, protect your county and honor your family. Line up the shot glasses and fill them with Jameson because “The Tribute” is a must read. 

Standing ovation Samantha. Thank you for the ARC --- Review to post to Ramblings From Beneath The Sheets. Forever a fan. 

Amy's 4 star ARC Review of Viktor by Clarissa Wild










Animal. Monster. Beast. That’s what they call Viktor Melikov, the man who hides in the dark … But even monsters need to be loved. The moment he sees the girl hired to dance for him, everything ceases to exist. It’s a feeling he’s unfamiliar with … and craves more than anything. 

Alexis Kidd sells her body. Not because she wants to, but because she needs to. A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do to support her family and survive. 

Now she must dance for a man hiding behind a veil. 
But when the urge to take a look grows too strong … Alexis gets more than she bargained for. 
More than Viktor was willing to give. 

Inspired by a fairytale, VIKTOR is a standalone Romance by New York Times & USA Today Bestselling author Clarissa Wild.











4 stars
Clarissa Wild

If you love Beauty and the Beast you will love Viktor. This is a good read and ties into some of the previous releases with bringing in characters from those books. This is the only reason for the 4 stars on this release. If you have not read those books you might not understand the whole gamut of what is going on. Also this is NOT the character of a beast but Viktor believes himself to be a monster because of his past and the scars he holds. 

Viktor hides himself behind a curtain and never gets involved with the girls he summons to dance for him. However this girl is different. She isn’t scared and she defies the rules. Alexis Kidd sells herself to keep she and her sister safe. Her “boss” is good to her. He isn’t the ordinary pimp. Although she is not being abused by him it's not the lifestyle she wants but it's what she has to do. She doesn’t remember where she came from and only has glimpses of her past. 

The man who wants her tonight only wants her to dance. Watching him through the curtain, she needs to know more. She wasn’t supposed to look and now he has her in his grasp. He let her go only after asking her name but her sister isn’t impressed. The marks he left on her … her sister will make him pay. Finding her sister gone, she knows exactly where she went after seeing his address. Alexis has to go and save her before it's too late. 

Ultimatums are made, lines are drawn but Alexis only sees a man in front of her. A man that saves her over and over. She doesn’t see a monster. Her past comes to the front and she has to keep her sister safe, and herself alive. He is the only one that can help them both … yet he is part of the problem. 

This is a good quick read. There are no cliffhangers but again you might be confused at who is at the helm of the evil that is lurking if you have not read the previous books. Its not a deal breaker but its something. If you like the modern day fairy tale between a monster and a beauty this one is for you. However in this tale the beauty isn’t an innocent Belle. 

Thank you for the ARC – Review to post to Ramblings From Beneath The Sheets. 

Amy's 4.5 star ARC Review of Dirty Bastard (Grim Bastards MC) by Emily Minton & Shelley Springfield












She's a biker chick with an edge. 
Daughter of an MC President, Trix Slade is used to living on the wild side, but nothing prepares her for being kidnapped by the Grim Bastards MC. Hell bent on getting back home, Trix will do anything to get away from her captors—anything. There’s only one problem. Boz is as sexy as he is wild—a tempting combination for a woman like Trix. 
He's a bastard with a soul. 
The Bastards’ president, Boz Creed, wants to bring Trix’s father down and knows the best way to get to him is by using his precious daughter. Determined to get the revenge he seeks, Boz is willing to do anything to get what he wants—anything. There’s only one problem. Trix is as sexy as she is stubborn—a deadly combination for a man like Boz. 
Can love between two rival clubs survive without someone taking the ultimate fall? 

Each book in the Grim Bastards MC series includes an HEA and can be read as a standalone. 
Dirty Bastard includes sexual situations and graphic violence. Not suitable for anyone under 18








Dirty Bastard
Emily Minton and Shelley Springfield
4.5 stars

So we have a great mix here with these two ladies. Emily Minton is a gem at writing MC books and this one is no different. 

We meet our two lead characters when Trix Slade is 14 years old and the daughter of the President (Hoss) of the Satan’s Revenge MC . Boz, is twenty two and watching his father, the President of the Grim Bastards, throw them into a tailspin with his antics. The two clubs are holding steady with their alliance but Boz has his doubts. Trix and Boz have a chance encounter with Boz being concerned about the young girl around the drunken antics of two clubs. 

Next we flash forward to Trix’s 18th bday party at her Dad's MC. Boz is there and ready to claim the woman he has watched grow up. Finally he is going to get what he wants until a turn of events takes him away from everything he has wanted. 

Flash forward a few years and here we go! Boz is now the president of the Grim Bastards and has a shipment of guns missing. His man Crank says he saw a Satans Revenge cut and the only way to find answers from Hoss is to take his heart. Game on …. 

This is a really great read. There is some incidents in basements as you have In MC stories but nothing over the top in description. I absolutely LOVED the banter between Boz and Trix. I found the events to be for the most part light hearted but the storyline kept me turning the pages. I wanted to know who, where and what … and holy smokes it’s a shocker. 

There is no cliffhanger and you will love the secondary characters. I will say dear lord my heart was broken at the loss of a character … never never never .. nope .. in fact that is why it's not a five star read. You hit me where it hurt Emily! Im very excited to read Filthy Bastards coming in June. Next up Brew!

I can't wait to read about every single brother in the MC and continue revisiting the others. What an amazing start to a fantastic series! 

Thank you for the ARC – Review to post to Ramblings From Beneath The Sheets. 

Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Amy's 4 star ARC Review of Banger's Ride (Insurgents MC # 5) by Chiah Wilder







Banger, President of the Insurgents MC, isn’t looking for a woman to replace his beloved wife. Ever since she died, he’s closed his heart to loving again. He satisfies his carnal pleasure with the club girls and hoodrats. It’s safer that way. 

The President of the national club may have sparkling blue eyes and an infectious smile, but make no mistake, if someone crosses him or his club, he’d slit their throat in a heartbeat.

Set in his ways, tough, tattooed, and a no BS-type of man, Banger is doing just fine until he meets the sassy, curly-haired, single mom who can cook the best fried chicken he’s ever tasted. 

He can’t get enough of her cooking…or her. 

For the first time since he’s been widowed, he wants a woman in his life warming his bed. 

And the no-nonsense woman, who has a body made for sinning, has turned his world upside down.

Belle Dermot is a widow with two kids whose husband left her penniless. Wanting a fresh start, she moves to Pinewood Springs and takes a job at the local diner cooking tasty, home-cooked meals.

After finding out her husband was a cheating louse, the last thing she wants is another man in her life. She has her hands full with a rebellious teenage daughter, paying the bills, and fending off nasty accusations that she poisoned her husband.

Then she meets Banger, the muscular, handsome, and rugged biker who comes crashing into her life. 
If only he wasn’t so nice to her and didn’t get her all hot and bothered. And why did he have to be so damn good in bed?

As hard as she tries to push him away, he keeps slipping back into her life, helping her with her problems. And Banger’s not the type to let go once he decides on something. And he’s decided to make Belle his. Now, he just needs her to agree to be his woman…

The Insurgents MC series are standalone romance novels. This is Banger and Belle’s love story. This book contains violence, sexual assault (not graphic), strong language, and steamy/graphic sexual scenes. It describes the life and actions of an outlaw motorcycle club. If any of these issues offend you, please do not read the book. HEA. No cliffhangers! The book is intended for readers over the age of 18.




4 stars

Banger is the President of the Insurgents MCs. He lost his wife Grace so many years ago. Since then his only priority is his daughter and his club. Women are there to serve him once and then they need to go. He isn’t looking for a relationship but with the help of our favorite girl, Cara, he may have just met the woman who can make him feel alive again. 

Belle lost her husband. He died but not before she knew he was cheating. Not only was he cheating but he left she and their two kids broke. Making a fresh start in Pinewood Springs the last thing she needs is a biker much less a man who is a biker in her life. There is no time. Her daughter is distant and doing things she has never done before and her son is caught in the middle of the whirlwind. This man makes her feel but there isn’t room in her heart. 

This is a great story between two people finding each other. Belle is a hard nosed woman dealing with the fallout of her cheating husband. Not only is she broke and raising the kids alone now but the past comes back with lies blazing a year later. People are not who they seem and the web of lies is more than you can imagine.

This one is a crazy ride. You get to visit with some other previous friends from releases. I love Cara and Hawk so it was great to have them involved in Banger’s Ride. Once again this is certainly one to click up. 

Thank you for the ARC! Review to post to Ramblings From Beneath The Sheets. 

Amy's 3.5 star ARC Review of Secrets and Lace (Fatal Heart Series book 1) By Dori Lavelle









**WARNING: Due to sexual situations and adult content, this dark romance thriller series is not intended for readers under the age of 18, and anyone who is unable to read books containing, kidnapping, murder, rape, and extreme abuse. ** 

Chloe Parker has the world at her feet. Her career in magazine publishing is flourishing, and she’s about to marry the man of her dreams, billionaire philanthropist Miles Durant. 

But one month before her wedding, she receives a countdown card. No sender. No return address. No message. Only a piece of lace stained with blood. As the wedding gets closer, the cards keep coming, every day without fail. 

It seems, while she’s counting down to the happiest day of her life, someone is doing a countdown of their own. Chloe fears she’s in danger, but she can’t turn to the cops for help. There’s something in her past she wants to remain hidden, a dark secret that could destroy the life of her dreams. 

To make things worse, Miles is becoming increasingly impatient and suspicious about her past, to the point where he’s so angry he becomes a man she doesn’t recognize. 

While working to keep her relationship intact, Chloe must find out who wants to hurt her before she loses everything, or ends up dead. 

*This story unfolds over three volumes.*







3.5 stars

This is my first read of a Dori Lavelle release. This is a dark thriller with some pretty intense moments. 

Chloe Parker is a huge hit in the magazine world. She is successful and is engaged to a extremely rich man. In a month her life will change as she becomes Mrs. Miles Durant. On this same day she receives a very disturbing note with that same number on it. The note is bloody and only says one number on it. Someone knows something … yes Cole has secrets to hide. 

I'm not crazy about Chloe’s finance, as he is a douche bag at times. It seemed like there relationship had changed quite a bit since they had started dating til now. He was somewhat overbearing for. Something was off with him. A charity man not willing to take on his own family? Doesn’t seem like he is the good guy he puts off to be! 

I can't say much more because I don’t want to give any spoilers away. I really didn’t connect with the characters in this one. It wasn’t a bad read I just didn’t feel like we were getting the whole story or maybe enough of the story and the preface is are the notes. We have to wait a long time before we get to the last card the stalker plays. It’s a good one for sure but it was a little too much for me. Maybe we could have had an additional snippet of a story line in between or something. Not sure. Chloe is going back to her high school mates to discuss the "event" they all kept quiet about as well just wasn't for me. There is a huge cliffhanger so be prepared to wait for round two. 

Thank you for the ARC. Review to post to Ramblings From Beneath The Sheets.