Amy's 5 star ARC Review of Gun Shy by Lili St. Germain

HAVE YOU SEEN THIS GIRL?

In the middle of a fierce snowstorm in Gun Creek, Nevada, a teenage girl disappears without a trace.

The second girl in nine years.

Identical cases. Identical conditions. Only last time, the girl was found. Dead, stuffed in a well beside the creek that feeds the town's water supply.

The killer was never found.

As the small town mobilizes and searches for newly vanished Jennifer Thomas, one suspect comes to the fore. But did he do it? Or is there something else at play? Something nobody could have anticipated?

For Jennifer's friend Cassie Carlino, the worst is yet to come. As she pins MISSING posters to store windows and joins the search, she begins to suspect that Jennifer's disappearance might be closer to her than she could have ever imagined...

In Gun Shy, USA Today Bestseller Lili St. Germain weaves her unique brand of darkness and grit into a much-anticipated psychological thriller that early readers are calling her best work yet. Evocative, atmospheric and gripping, this book will stay with you long after you're finished reading.

Holy smokes - Gypsy Brothers doesn't have anything on this new release. 
So there is a huge cast of characters in this release which means I hope that we have another great series on the way which complete mind benders ... Because let me tell you this one did not disappoint. 

I would say at minimum this is a psychological thriller. A killer who got away. Lives changed forever. Some may get out alive but others won't and maybe just maybe the killer isn't all that much of a stranger. 

Gun Creek changes you. There is no opportunity and there is no way out for some. Leo and Cassie's plan was to leave but then everything changed. Everything they dreamed of lies now in tattered bits. 

I'm not sure what else to say than get this book. There are dead bodies and missing people ... Scary moments that I thought I would wet my pants before it was over. Just wait ... Situated yourself because once you start reading you aren't putting this one down. 

Thank you for the ARC -  Oh and once you read it go back and stare at the cover for a minute ... Perfect ... Eeekkkk!

Amy's 3 star ARC Review of Sick Fux by Tillie Cole

When Ellis Earnshaw and Heathan James met as children, they couldn’t have been more different. Ellis was loud and beautiful – all blond hair, bright laughs and smiles. Heathan was dark and brooding, and obsessed with watching things die.
The pair forged an unlikely friendship, unique and strange. Until they were ripped apart by the sick cruelty of others, separated for years, both locked in a perpetual hell.
Eleven years later, Heathan is back for his girl. Back from a place from which he thought there was no return. Back to seek revenge on those who wronged them.
Time has made Heathan’s soul darker, polluted with hatred and the thirst for blood.
Time has made Ellis a shell of her former self, a little girl lost in the vastness of her pain.
As Heathan pulls Ellis out of her mental prison, reviving the essence of who she once was, down the rabbit hole they will go.
With malice in their hearts and vengeance in their veins, they will seek out the ones who hurt and destroyed them.
One at a time.
Each one more deadly than the last.
Tick Tock.

Dark Contemporary Romance. Contains explicit sexual situations, violence, disturbingly sensitive and taboo subjects, offensive language and very mature topics. Recommended for ages 18 and over.

This book needs a very large warning on the front pages. The theme is extremely dark. Don't let the Alice In Wonderland vibe fool you. Rabbit and Dolly are bat shit crazy. Having said that I don't mind a dark read but this one was way past the dark side. 

I'm not going to lie it was hard for me to finish because there were times I thought nope ... nope and more nope. But if you like to tap in to your darkest places where there is no coming back then this is your read. Make sure you keep the lights on. LOL! 

I can't say much because you really need to go in to this one blind IF this is your type of read. The characters are well written as well as many interesting secondary characters but it was a little much for me. I like dark, but I don't care for the depths of hell -- it wasn't my cup of tea but try for yourself. There are a lot of five star reviews for this one out there so take this for what it is .. only my opinion.

Amy's 5 star ARC Review of Go to Hail (The Hail Raisers Book 2) by Lani Lynn Vale

Everybody has problems. But Travis? Yeah, he has so many problems that he finds it hard to breathe sometimes.

He spends five years catering to his ex-wife’s every want and need—all to make it possible to continue to see his child.

He isn’t supposed to fall in love with a woman, but he does.

He isn’t supposed to find someone that is willing to put up with his ex-wife’s crazy antics, but he has.

He isn’t supposed to be happy, but he is.

And all it takes is his ex-wife finding out about his new-found peace for things to change.

***

Hannah saw him and knew he was the one.

All it took was one look into that haunted man’s eyes, and she was lost, never to be found again.

She thinks she has it all. His love, a new baby made with that love, and a house to raise their blended family.

She’s wrong, and Travis’ ex-wife is out to prove it.

***

Travis doesn’t deserve Hannah. All he’s done is hurt her.

She’s done everything in her power to keep everyone happy, but the more she tries, the harder his ex-wife pushes. Until one day, there’s nothing left to push.

Hannah leaves, and Allegra wins.

But Travis isn’t willing to let her have her way any longer.

He fights back, and only gets a bullet to the chest to show for it.

Love this book -- With the same humor we are used to and great characters in this release how can it not be a five star. The story of Travis ... its a heart breaker and a full box of Kleenex. Insert a crazy ex wife that wants nothing but to cause drama and keep happiness at bay -- maybe a box of Kleenex and a fist punch to the face is more like it. 

Hannah loves her man -- Travis loves his woman Hannah but the crazy ex is constantly using their child against him making him put his new family on the back burner. Inserting herself in to his new life was not the plan. Hannah is a saint for sticking with him but how much longer can she tolerate the antics of a woman who claims she wants nothing to do with him. How much longer can the woman he loves and the life they want survive a constant battle of insanity with a crazed woman. Hannah has always put herself behind all of Travis' needs in order to keep him able to see his child but enough is enough. 

Travis and Hannah have a story of ups and downs -- one that could be a true story in many ways. The characters are exceptionally written and you feel the emotions pouring from them. In life you have to decide if you battle together or apart -- what we have here in this release is a battle of strength, love, and courage to keep what you love glued together no matter what the cost. 

Loved this release and highly recommend all of Lani's books. The characters are fantastic and it's a happy read. It's the full deal. Click this one up and cozy up by the fire. Bring on Travis and Hannah. You won't regret the one click. Thank you for the ARC! 

Amy's 4 star ARC Review of Pitch Please (There's No Crying In Baseball #1) by Lani Lynn Vale

Baseball is life, the rest is just details.

Everyone who’s played the game has heard those words a time or two. But Hancock has heard them his entire life from his parents. His family has lived and breathed baseball even before he started little league.

Hancock “Parts” Peters has a name that inspires grins across many faces, but the moment those faces get their first look at him, those grins slide away.

Hancock is gruff, filterless, and doesn’t give a crap who he offends. He is the only man in baseball who doesn’t care if he gets an endorsement or not. He’s there to play the game. He’s there to win. He’s there because baseball is his life.
People think he’s a jerk.

And maybe he is. But if that’s how he has to come off to get people to leave him the hell alone so he can play in peace, so be it. The less people he has to worry about offending, the better.

***

Don’t let the fear of striking out hold you back. 

Sway Coffman didn’t mean to rock the boat. She was just there to do her job.

Sure, she was a woman in a man’s world. Yes, she beat out several of those men to get the job as head athletic trainer for the professional baseball team, The Texas Lumberjacks. And yeah, she now got hate mail from those men.

But she’s good at her job, and she earned the position.

What she is not good at, however, is talking to men.

Men seem to see her curvy hips, large breasts and thick thighs and automatically think she is incompetent. Because surely a fat girl couldn’t get the job treating some of the most fit and athletic men in the world, right?

Wrong.

This fat girl got the job, and she is proud of it.

What else did she get?

The attention of the sexiest bearded man she’d ever had the pleasure of laying eyes on.

It was enough to bring to her down to her knees…in front of that man, the hot and grumpy baseball player, Hancock Peters.

Hancock Peters and Sway Coffman are a dynamic team in this new series. We have the Lani-isms as I call it and that keeps the pages turning. Hancock is brass and crude but likable in an odd way. He is definitely a strong male lead and has his reasons for the jerk outwardly character. 

Sway has beat out the men determined to get the job as head trainer for the Texas Lumberjacks and now proving herself is going to be harder than she ever imagined. Her appearance isn't the easiest to deal with either ... makes for an interesting combo.

I did like the story but I will be honest I wasn't head over heels with the constant fat girl comments. I know the author was trying to make a point that big is beautiful which it is but it was a little too much. I felt like it ended up sounding more sarcastic than pulling for the bigger girl although I know again that is not the case as I have read Lani numerous times over. 

Click it up and see what you think. I'll read the next in the series for sure as I love her work. This one is good but not her best. Thank you for the ARC.  

Amy's 5 star ARC Review of Inked Hearts by Lindsay Detwiler

“Six years, a complex about my freckles, a love for pastrami, and a fear of failure.
That’s what he gave me before slaughtering my heart and my faith in men.”

Suffering from the sting of betrayal, twenty-eight-year-old Avery Johannas quits her job and moves hundreds of miles away to Ocean City, the beach town of her dreams. With the help of her zany roommate, Jodie, Avery finds a new career, home, and freedom. Throughout her self-exploration, she makes only one rule: She won’t give her heart to a man again. She’s living for herself this time.

But then she meets Jesse.

A tattoo shop owner, the green-eyed Jesse Pearce is wild with a touch of mystery. As Jesse and Avery explore Ocean City and their friendship, they’ll have a hard time drawing a line in the sand between their hearts.

When summer nights get a little more heated than either expected, they’ll have to ask themselves: Can they let go of their notions of love, or will their hearts be permanently inked by past pain?

Avery Johannas is divorced at 28 - overcoming self inflicted self confidence issues and now her cheating husband has done nothing but put those pieces back in to play in her head. Starting over and hoping for something even a tad better for herself which includes NO MAN is her plan. Her new roommate might help her remember what it;s like to have fun (I hope to see a lot more of Jodie) and her boss is a good guy she thinks but dating him -- no way. 

Jesse knows his new girl is a force to be reckoned with but he will steal her heart -- all he has to do is convince her that he is worth the trouble. 

I absolutely LOVED this book. I have been struggling for quite some time to find something that would keep my attention. I found this story refreshing -- I found it worth my time -- I found it exactly what I needed after the emotional toll of Irma and the forces out there right now. This was a great and much needed escape. 

This is my first read by this wonderful author. If this is what we can expect from her then sign me up for the rest. The banter between the characters was great -- the characters were all well written and although you didn't have to think too hard to stay on top of the events; it was a page turner. 

Thank you for the ARC and thank you for the chance to read! Send more! Great cover as well -- my laid back himself Jesse to the tee.

Amy's 3 star ARC Review of Appointed By Fate by Skye McNeil

"An intriguing book, the reader never knew which way the story was going to go."

One of Iowa’s most prominent criminal attorneys, Joci Dorous is ruthless and devoid of emotion in the courtroom. It’s what makes her the best. Her most recent client allegedly committed murder and, despite a rocky start, Joci is determined to win Cameron Shearer’s case.

Since this is her first homicide, she has the support of a second-chair attorney—her ex who wants her back. To make things more complicated, her hunky cop of a booty call, Cameron’s arresting officer, isn’t quite ready to let her go either. Who knew being surrounded by three hot guys could be so deliciously exhausting?

As the mystery of the case unravels, she soon discovers the true reason behind Cameron’s impromptu visit to Iowa. It’s this knowledge that endangers all those she holds dear. Caught up in confusion, chaos, and criminal law, how will her heart survive the final verdict?

Joci is a hot shot lawyer making her way in the courtroom and out -- she is a bulldog and a force to be reckoned with. However her three ways to heaven I guess was the part I wasn't overly impressed with. I would have loved to see the story line more focused on the trial and case more so than the personal issues going on here. 

Joci has an ex who is chasing her and wishing things were different -- then a cop that serves as a phone and bang --- and then the client she likes to spend time with -- eh. It was just strange to me in a way. See the client of hers that she likes to spend some evenings with is charged with murder. Digging in to impress the powers that be she gets in to a realm of Mafia and drugs. 

I like the lead female character but I just wasn't all that involved in the story line because she is messing around with the client charged with murder???? Yeah - I don't know. Don't get me wrong its not a bad read in the least it just wasn't what I was expecting. The client/lawyer thing for me is sort of not believable. The writing for the most part was good so again if this is YOUR cup of tea then click it up -- .. I would read this author again just maybe a different story line. 

Thank you for the ARC 

Amy's 4 star ARC Review of ZACK: Southside Skulls Motorcycle Club (Southside Skulls MC Romance Book 4) by Jessie Cooke

Zack "Attack" Leoni is a wild and free nomad biker who spends most of his time on the road. Each stop there's another woman to satisfy his needs.
He's not one to be tied down to anyone or anything and certainly not a woman with a child. 
Nicole Swafford fears for her life as she tries to escape Spider, her violent ex-husband and the father of her child...the same man Zack is meeting for a club business deal.
Will the smiling Zack Attack jeopardize club business for a woman he doesn't know, with a child he doesn't want?
Will Spider let anyone stand in the way of what he wants? His child and Nicole.
Two men, one woman, and a child. That's trouble. Big trouble.

This is the 4th book in the Southside Skulls MC Series. It is a Standalone Romance Novel but characters from the previous novels, DAX, CODY & GUNNER, are main players in this story too. 
HEA and No cliffhanger. Intended for Mature Readers.

So this was a surprise and a good read. Not that the other two I have read in this series weren't but the writing seems to be more developed and the characters are more believable. Great job. 

Nicole is trying to escape the hands of her abusive ex Spider. Getting out of her marriage was a blessing but the man wont let her go. He is still threatening her, still coming around and still controlling her life. Needing to escape with her son is on the top of her list. Zack overhears Nicoles situation while meeting over club business and decides he needs to help this woman no matter what the price. 

Zack has a decision to make. A woman over club business ... he cant seem to get the story out of his head. Making a choice might prove easier than he thinks. 

There are characters from the previous releases in this release so that's good. There is a ton going on but the story flows well. Spider is bat shit crazy so be prepared for that. Loved the characters and the plot in this one -- good easy read for a lazy day inside or at the beach! 

Thank you for the ARC!