Category: cop/crime

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The Other Side of Winter by G.B. Gordon

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From Riptide:

Skanian investigator Bengt fell in love with fellow policeman Alex Rukow in a week. But that was a year ago, and they’ve been apart ever since. Then Alex escapes the corrupt and destitute island nation of Santuario and comes to live with Bengt. Happy ever after . . .?

Alex’s lifelong dream of leaving Santuario has come true at last. But he finds himself adrift in a society he doesn’t understand. Worse, past nightmares come back to haunt him, and after so many years of suspicion and self-reliance, it’s harder than he imagined to trust someone else.

Bengt just wants Alex to share his comfortable life. But the more he tries to give, the more Alex pulls away. Their physical connection couldn’t be better, but Bengt can’t seem to get through to his difficult, taciturn lover outside the bedroom. Meanwhile, he has his own demons to confront—not to mention a serial killer on the loose.

Bengt and Alex must dig deep for the courage to face their pasts, but it may be too late to save their relationship or their lives.

 

Kimi’s thoughts:

It seemed like FOREVER before this came out. No, seriously, it did. You see, I’d been waiting ever since I finished the very last word on the very last of Santuario, so when this came out, I was ecstatic. The story picks up shortly after Alex has left Santuario and begun his new life with Bengt. It’s far from easy though, as culture shock sets in and he finds himself adrift. Add in his PTSD and Bengt’s own issues and you get a volatile mix.

The solutions to the serial killer case and their relationship woes, as well as Alex’s finding his feet, is far from simple. The separate issues become intertwined and the result is a tightly plotted suspense story with realistic romantic nuances. It’s a great read and I’m hoping Gordon continues with this as a series.

Rating: amazing

 

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A Solitary Man by Aisling Mancy and Shira Anthony

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From Dreamspinner:

Sparks fly when Chance meets tall, sexy Xav at a Wilmington bar and they have the hottest one-nighter of their lives. But Chance doesn’t do repeats, Xav seems detached, and they go their separate ways without a word. Later, when closeted Assistant District Attorney C. Evan “Chance” Fairchild meets Dare’s Landing’s newest deputy sheriff, Xavier “Xav” Constantine, Evan isn’t only wary. He’s irritated as hell.

Xavier is a former FBI agent turned deputy sheriff who is hot on the trail of a South American child prostitution ring. Evan is fighting to put an end to rampant cocaine trafficking and chafing under the thumb of an election-hungry boss. When someone tries to kill the eleven-year-old witness who holds the key to both their investigations, they’re forced to work together as they put their lives on the line to protect him. As Chance and Xav collide in the heat of a sweltering North Carolina summer, dodging bullets and chasing bad guys isn’t the only action going on.

 

Kimi’s thoughts:

This collaboration came out swinging and kept landing hits. The self absorption of elected officials and their spin doctors, good officers getting sidelined, communities kept in the dark, and all that comes with these is brought front and centre. Mix in the locale with all it’s ingrained local flavour including prejudices and you have a powder keg. If this wasn’t enough, we get a romance between two men who are caught up in their jobs and circumstance, making for a great romantic thriller. Sadly, it’s a thriller woven with fact, with the child (and drug) trafficking based on several actual events which just tore my heart out.

 

The writing was gritty, the plot tightly woven, and the pace brisk. It’s definitely not for the faint hearted, but if you love a good thriller with a  side of romance, this is probably one you won’t want to miss.

 

Rating: 4.5

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Flesh Market by Kate Lowell Blog Tour with Excerpt and Giveaway

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Author Name: Kate Lowell

Book Name: Flesh Market

Release Date: November 10, 2015

Blurb:

Special Agent Leo Gale is up a creek. A year and a half of deep cover is about to go up in flames. He needs help – something, someone to salvage the operation and save the lives of untold numbers of trafficked teenagers.

But he wasn’t expecting the partner they sent, or his own gut-punch of a response to the man.

Julian worked hard for that FBI Honors Internship. It was supposed to be a foot in the door. He’d never expected it to catapult him into the middle of a major undercover operation. Yet here he is, sleeping on a filthy mattress and using every trick in the book to avoid torture—and worse. He’s never felt so scared, or so alive, in his entire life, and he’s not sure if it’s the danger, or Leo, that’s making his heart race.

There’s no time to think about it, though. The operation is heating up, and Leo and Julian are running out of time and options. As choices become more difficult, they must find a way to take the traffickers down, or risk becoming just another set of organs for sale.

Continue reading “Flesh Market by Kate Lowell Blog Tour with Excerpt and Giveaway”

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Truth and Consequences: Sarah Madison


PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press

LENGTH: 240 pages

SERIES: Sixth Sense Book 3

SUMMARY: When FBI agent Jerry Lee Parker wakes from a coma after a murderous attack on his life, he has no memory of his immediate past. In the blink of an eye, he has gone from having a nearly photographic memory to recalling nothing of the last six months of his life, including his partner and lover, John Flynn. While Lee tries to reboot his past and reconnect with John, there are events at play around him he doesn’t understand. John is keeping secrets from him, secrets that could get them both killed.

Matters come to a head when Lee is hounded to turn over a mysterious artifact, of which he has no knowledge. The two men wind up in a fight for their lives as they risk everything to keep the powerful relic out of the hands of a ruthless killer. In order to protect those he loves, however, John may be forced to make a deal with the devil.

REVIEW: This is the third book in the Sixth Sense series and I must say that it’s a pretty damn good. What I like about this series is that the author picks up exactly where we left off in the previous book. Meaning, if she left off with them talking in the car, then that’s where the scene opens in the next book. You’re not left wondering what happened in between if the book opened with them in another place or timeframe.

We left off with Jerry losing his memory after an attack. He has no memory of John, their relationship or the events that led up to the attack. They’re basically starting over getting to know each other. The only thing about this is John, bless his heart, feels that he needs to keep his poor partner in the dark about some of the events leading up to the attack for his own protection. This of course, proves to be a huge mistake because it makes him more vulnerable. Poor Jerry has people after him but has no idea why.

They end up at John’s mother’s home for Jerry’s recuperating and while John’s under investigation for shooting Jerry’s attacker.

Once estranged, John is able to reconnect with his mother. I think that Jerry’s presents facilitated that reunion between mother and son. I absolutely adored John’s mother. She was a delightful surprise. She was a little old lady but she was in no way defenseless or fragile. She was a genteel, gun toting, Southern lady.
I enjoyed reading her and Jerry’s interactions with each other and the criminals (who were total amateurs, by the way) that were after them. Oh, and the cats. I adored reading about Jerry and John and their two fur babies Oliver and Phoenix.

This author did a great job with this book; with this entire series. She has a way with words that I find absolutely delightful. Jerry’s inner monologues were hilarious and that’s another thing about this series that I enjoy: she successfully balances humor,action and suspense, mystery and romance with a touch of steamy sex scenes thrown in. It’s not many sex scenes in this series but that’s quite alright as the plot and storyline is strong and fascinating enough to make up for the lack of it.

Of course the ending of this book is left at one of those oddly benign places where the author can seamlessly pick it up in the next book.

I really look forward to seeing what happens next.

RATING: ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Amazon

Dreamspinner Press

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Promises (Bounty Hunters 1): A.E. Via

PUBLISHER: Via Star Wings Publishing

LENGTH: 229 pages

SUMMARY: Duke Morgan owns and operates one of the largest bail bond companies in Atlanta. Not only does he bond criminals out of jail, he and his notorious group of bounty hunters will also track them down and ensure they show up for court.

Roman ‘Quick’ Webb is Duke’s business partner and best friend. Both men are in their forties and have given up on the happily ever after with the ranch-style home, and white picket fence. They’d both tried it and failed miserably. But they have their friendship and they have the business.

When Quick’s son, Vaughan Webb returns – after seven years – from studying abroad with his law degree in hand, he’s back to claim what he’s always wanted…his fathers’ best friend… Duke Morgan. Vaughan has always claimed to be a classic gentleman with an old soul. He didn’t party and screw up in school like his buddies. He was focused and dedicated to becoming the man worthy of Duke’s love.

It’s a complex and messy situation as Duke and Quick figure out how to still be best friends when one of them is sleeping with his friend’s one and only son. But when Duke is hurt on the job, all the unimportant trivialities fall to the wayside and Vaughan and Quick put their heads together to save Duke.

Part I of the Promises story is about Duke and Vaughan. Part II will be about Quick and his realization that it’s not too late for any of them to find love.

REVIEW: I love A.E. Via’s books like a fat girl loves cake. And it just so happens that I am a chubby girl who loves her pogey-bakes.

Her books are filled to capacity with tough, rough and tumble, kick ass and take names, no-nonsense, testosterone fueled hot bodied, sexy MEN. There aren’t any pretty boy twinks in her books. These are grown ass MEN.

Duke is a bounty hunter who’s trying really just getting over a heartbreak. He’s surviving but not really living. Sure, he had his businesses and his friends but he goes home to an empty bed every night.

This is where his best friend’s son, Vaughan comes in. In my mind, I was thinking that Vaughan was going to be this inexperienced young guy who is seduced by the father’s best friend. Of course, this was prior to reading the blurb. Then I mentally smacked myself. I mean, come on now: this is an A.E. Via story, so they’re full grown guys between those pages.

Vaughan was in no way a boy. He was a man who knew at an early age that Duke was his. He waited patiently, biding his time getting himself together basically becoming the man that he knew Duke wanted and needed. Always mature for his age, Vaughan was up front with his father about his plans for Duke from the beginning when he was a teenager.

Duke wasn’t expecting Vaughan to be the hot and sexy adult man that he is now. He remembers the mature teenager and I think he expected Vaughan to be interested in men his own age.

I don’t want to give too much away but when I tell you that this book is deliciously written, I mean it. These characters, dialogue, storyline is very well written. What I particularly love about this book was that neither man didn’t play these silly little live games with each other. Vaughan was clear about who and what he wanted and he went after it and Duke, first thought about how his best friend worried was going to take it. Once Duke received the okay from Quick (as if Quick could stop his 30 year old son from being with him), he didn’t put up a fight.

What I especially loved was how you knew how much Vaughan loved Duke. Vaughan did one of the most tremendously selfless act of love I’ve ever read in a book. When he did this, you knew that (if you weren’t 100% convinced already) that Vaughan Webb loved—LOVED him some Duke Morgan.  Talk about dropping the mic and walking off the stage!

As usual, Mz. Via cooked up some fierce words in this book. She served us a full course Sunday dinner of fierce with this book; every word was delicious.

Take off that apron, come out of that kitchen and take a bow. You put your ‘foot in the pot’ with this one.

I for one can not wait to see what happens in book 2 with Quick and the sexy Dr. Chauncey.

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RATING: ???AMAZING???

BUY LINKS: 

Amazon

Via Star Wings 

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Shifting Chaos (Book 4 The Sleepless City) by Elizabeth Nobel

Dreamspinner Presents

http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6780

ShiftingChaosLGBlurb

Chaos reigns in The Sleepless City, and it’s really beginning to piss Detective Jonas Forge off. He’s got inner demons to battle and a life to build with his new soul mate, Blair Turner. Nothing is going right, and he already feels the universe is conspiring against him when a turn of events he never saw coming flips his world upside down.

Hallucinations grip the town and everyone in it, threatening to tear their precariously built family apart, and the only way forward is to bare all to each other. This means Declan and Blair need to learn to accept one another. Lucas Coate has to move forward without ties to his werewolf pack and live a monogamous life with Declan.

But while Forge and Declan confront horrors from their shared past, Simon learns a terrible truth about vampires—one he couldn’t have imagined in his worst nightmares.

Review

Our boys have all mated, but are not necessarily “settled”. Forge and Blaire are still working on their trust issues and this book focuses on their relationship.

There’s another “mystery” to solve, this time involving a creature that causes paranormals to attack one another without provocation.

The creature attacks Forge, forcing him to reveal some “truths” he had hoped to keep to himself.

There is quite a bit of back history relayed, mostly from Declan about Forge’s early days and some about Declan’s turning, too.

There is a little bit of fun with the couples in general, but the focus is Blaire and Forge.

**

I liked this installment, though maybe a little less than the previous books. It was good to see everyone again, and lovely to see the relationship deepening between Forge and Blaire.

The mystery stuff is exciting and creative; I loved the new “powers” we get to see in Declan and Forge.

I’m a big romance fan and the focus in this book was still on the romance, but was maybe a bit more weighted to the mystery.

The writing was excellent and the world-building was extensive and compelling.

I’m not sure if this was the last installment – it could be, but there is room left for more – but it was a nice way to end, if it is.

I’ve enjoyed this series very much and recommend it to fans of paranormal romance.

4 of 5 hearts

4

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Rearranging Stars by Diane Adams

Dreamspinner Presents

http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6776

RearrangingStarsBlurb

The freedom to love comes with a cost.
As a guardian angel, Drake’s destiny is written in the stars. Choice is not part of an angel’s life. Drake never thought twice about it until he’s unexpectedly thrust into watching over Grey, who inspires passion in Drake but endangers his very identity as a guardian angel. Grey is more than just another human—he can see angels. When he discovers that unlike his previous angel Drake will talk to him, Grey becomes determined to pull Drake off the sidelines and into life. Attraction flares between them from the beginning and causes Drake to question his purpose for the first time. His distraction results in a decision that changes everything—and not just for him and Grey.

Review

Drake is a guardian angel, who despite protocol, feels compelled to “remember” each and everyone of his charges, even after they’ve passed. He gets placed on a case mid-stream when one of his fellow angels “goes corporeal” (turns into a human and gives up being an angel).

Grey is a human who has always been able to see guardian angels, but Drake is the first he’s gotten to talk to him and even touch! Grey acts as his own sort of guardian by patrolling his neighborhood streets to keep things as safe as he can for his people.

Drake and Grey are attracted to one another, though Drake knows absolutely and literally nothing about such physical and emotional things. Grey delights in showing him the wonders of “being alive” and experiencing life rather than just observing.

When things get very “real” and Grey gets hurt while Drake is on the job, Drake decides it’s too much to risk and asks to be pulled from Grey’s guard duty, though they’ve both admitted their love for the other.

However – it’s too much for them to take AND there’s something brewing among the angels that has Drake’s friends getting involved to bring Grey and Drake together in the hopes that their relationship will serve a higher purpose.

**

First let me say that I’m a Diane Adams fan. I really enjoyed her series “The Making of a Man” and was really excited about a paranormal book from her.

I’m not sure the order of writing, but I do know this is a re-print of an earlier title. That being the case it may have been one of her earlier books, I don’t know. But what I do know is that it lacked some of the tightness her other stories had and that there were some basic flaws that made enjoying the creativity of this story a harder for me.

The premise and the world-building were great. Angels aren’t vehicles of heaven – they just “are”. They don’t have an agenda, they just protect. They don’t judge don’t necessarily even care about what they see, they just observe. This has some consequences and in the past has led to some rebellion. Currently, there are angels worried about another rebellion. I liked this take on the angel theme, and was glad to see a departure from some of the more historical/religious way angels are usually portrayed.

I also loved the idea of a guardian angel falling for his charge. Sure, it’s been done before, but it’s a lovely idea and in this case has some interesting twists.

What I found difficult was all the inconsistencies around what angels were to do, why they would “go corporeal” and how they would come to that decision, what happens when they cross over, why Drake was so fixated on memories, what roll Grey was to play in the end and what the other pair of lovers had to do with things. It felt kind of vague in some ways and didn’t seem to follow a discrete set of “plot rules” in a way that made me understand character motivation well at all.

Though it may sound silly, it was hard having two MCs with names like Grey and Drake. They were so similar I kept forgetting who was who and had to re-read passages over and over because I’d gotten confused.

The gang stuff really didn’t work for me and the attack on Drake just felt awkward and strange for a modern story.

By the end I wasn’t sure what exactly was happening with Grey and Drake and just who they were and what they were going to be doing for the foreseeable future.

So… though I really liked parts of this story, the fact that felt so rough around the edges had me giving just a bit lower rating.

3 of 5 hearts

3

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