Tag Archives: murder

May Reading List

So my historical to-be-read list bled over into May a little and I’m supplementing it with a lot of cowboys and general contemporary romance stuff.

Heart of a Hero series – Shelly Gray – post-Civil War (1874) Texas, Colorado, Kansas

  • A Texan’s Honor (book 2) – Jamilyn is traveling by rail from her home to Kansas City to live with her aunts when the train is over-run with the Watson Gang.  Little did she know that her fate was in the hands of Will, a US Marshal working undercover to take the gang down.
  • A Texan’s Choice (book 3) – While focused on Scout Proffitt hanging up the gun-for-hire hat and becoming a family man, a good deal of energy is spent on Russell, a young former Watson Gang member from book 2, and Miles, Scout’s brother-in-law from book 1 as they all deal with a group of deadly cattle rustlers.

Grant – Jennifer Ashley – book 2 of the Riding Hard series.  A year after Grant and Christina split up, neither can get the other out of the system.  A volatile reconciliation is attempted amid personal and public crises.

Tycoon Takedown – Ruth Cardello – book 2 of the Lone Star Burn series. Cowgirl Melanie’s trip to New York to find her baby’s daddy is side-tracked by billionaire Charlie who is dealing with his own demons from the past.  (Book 1 read in January 2015)

Books 3-5 of the Walker Island Romances: When It’s Love, All for Love, Forever in Love.

All I Ever Need is You – Bella Andre – book 14 of the Sullivans series. Adam is the last single Seattle Sullivan and is more than happy to stay that way until he meets Rafe and Brooke’s wedding planner, Kerry.  But Kerry knows Adam’s reputation as a playboy and is convinced he’s just like her father who abandoned them when she was little. He has his work cut out for him in convincing her of his devotion.

Destined for Power – Kathleen Brooks – book 4 of the Women of Power series.

One Man’s Treasure – Sable Hunter/Ryan O’Leary – part of the Heal Yeah! series and Equalizers subseries.  While on a trip to Veracruz, Mexico, MMA fighter Jet unknowingly takes on Sami, a terminally-ill journalist who is running for her life from the Mexican drug cartel.

And I Love Her – Marie Force – book 4 of the Green Mountain Romance Series.  It’s now or never for Hunter to make his move on Megan now that her sister is selling the local diner where she works.

Heartbreak Cove – Lily Everett – book 3 of the Sanctuary Island series.  Complicated doesn’t describe what happens between horse rehabilitator Sam and local sheriff Andie when the fate of an abused horse rides the fine line of the law.

On the Run – Jo Davis – book 4 of the Sugarland Blue series.  Tonio gets in over his head when he stumbles into an undercover gig to nail a local thug.

Women of Power

The Women of Power series by Kathleen Brooks is centered around the Simpson family from Atlanta.  Their father worked his way up, steadily building up an empire over the years. When he passed away, Elle was put in charge of the family business and together with her siblings–Reid, Bree, and Allegra–managed to grow it into an international powerhouse.  The series is loosely connected to Brooks’ Bluegrass and Bluegrass Brothers series.

  1. Chosen for Power – Elle runs the family business, Simpson Global, but someone wants to take her and her company down.  Can tech mogul Drake help her save everything her family has built?
  2. Built for Power – Bree heads up the construction division of the family conglomerate and someone wants to ruin her. She’s convinced that architect Logan is her nemesis, but they soon find they’ve been set up by the true enemy.
  3. Fashioned for Power – Allegra oversees the fashion division of the family business and has been dealing with a stalker for months. Finn, former professional baseball player turned lawyer/entertainment agent, is tired of waiting for Allegra to acknowledge what they might have, until he needs to protect her from her enemies.
  4. Destined for Power – Sixteen years ago, Reid fell in love with Elle’s best friend Mallory who was the daughter of a rich senator.  When Daddy threatened to destroy Reid’s family, Mallory sent him away and broke his heart. She fell in with the CIA and trained with Ahmed (Bluegrass) which eventually led to her career in security. Now there’s a threat against the presidential candidates, her father being one of them, and Mallory has been tasked with discovering the details.  The twist? The order for the hit goes down in one of Reid’s casinos and now he’s a target, too.  It’s a race against the clock to put it all together and stop an assassination that will rock the world.

March Reads

Okay, this month I’m focusing on all the paranormal books I’ve got stockpiled.

  1. Crouching Tiger, Forbidden Vampire – Kerrelyn Sparks – the 16th and final book in the Love at Stake series.  Russell has been tracking Master Han for the past two years and is finally getting close.  But he’s not the only one who wants the evil vampire dead.  Han killed Jia’s parents and brother when she was eight and she wants revenge.  She’s more than willing to take Russell on as a partner, both for business and for pleasure.
  2. Twisted – Elisabeth Naughton – Book 7 in the Eternal Guardians series.  Cynna sold her soul to Zagreus (Hade’s son) in exchange for getting revenge on the Queen of Argolea.  She’s tasked with breaking Nick, Kronos’ son, but instead helps him to escape and becomes his point of focus as he harnesses the dark power buried deep inside of him.
  3. Her Two Alphas – Scarlett Grove – Lucy gets lost on a hike and is rescued by twin wolf-shifters, Elijah and Caleb, who have identified her as their mate.

Moonbound Clan Vampires series by Larissa Ione (Books 1 and 2)

  1. Bound by Night – Riker never got over his mate Terese who was driven to death by the humans.  At least until he met Nicole who had no idea her company, and her brother, were doing horribly vial things to the vampires.
  2. Chained by Night – Clan leader Hunter reluctantly agrees to mate with Rasha of an enemy tribe.  But when Hunter must fight for the right to save his first born, it’s her polar opposite twin Aylin who steps up to the plate and steals his heart in the process.

The Sentinels series by Alexandra Ivy  (Books 1 and 2)

  1. Born in Blood – Supposed “norm” detective Duncan teams up with “freak” Callie to solve a murder and stop a madman from taking over the world while dealing with the fallout from a relationship between them.
  2. Blood Assassin – Serra is magically lured to St. Louis to find a kidnapped girl and Fane goes after her in a race against the clock to save both the girl and Serra.

The Fallen Angels series by J.R.Ward (Books 5 and 6)

  1. Possession – Jim trades a victory for Sissy’s soul which leads to a number of distractions for him, forcing the battle to a sixth round.
  2. Immortal – The conclusion to the war between good and evil which goes the full seven rounds.

Other, non-paranormal…

  1. Cabin Heat – Bella Love-Wins – Part 1 of the Billionaire Romance Redemption.  Abby is headed back to San Francisco and school with five others when they are forced to take a detour and get stranded in a raging snowstorm.  Luckily, they happen upon Andrew’s Lake Tahoe cabin to wait out the storm.

February Reads

…and now back to my regularly scheduled randomness….

  1. Heavy Hitters – Mike Lupica – Book 3 of the Game Changers series. Yeah, I know.  It’s a kids book.  My son read it for a book report for school and so I could help him, I read it too.  It was a good book centered around baseball although those eleven year old kids seemed awfully mature…
  2. Loving the Billionaire – Christina Tetreault – novella in the Sherbrookes of Newport series.  Where it all began–Callie’s parents Ruth and Warren.
  3. Always Loving You – Sydney Landon – Book 6 of the Danvers series.  Now that Mac has moved on, Ava is scrambling to get him back.
  4. One Long Embrace – Tina Folsom – Book 5 of the Eternal Bachelors Club series.  Tara thinks she’s slumming with Jay, but when she discovers his ruse, he’s got his work cut out to get her back.
  5. Maximum Risk – Ruth Cardello – Book 3 of the Andrades series. Tara gets sucked into the Andrade family soap opera when Maddy hires her to get to the bottom of the big family secret, but is able to get loner Max back into the fold with his brothers.
  6. Against the Sky – Kat Martin – Book 2 of the Brodies of Alaska series.  Nick and Samantha only intended for it to be a weekend fling in Vegas, but when they explore the possibility of more, they get tangled up with the Russian Mob and a murder investigation.
  7. Curveball – VK Sykes – Book 4 of the Philadelphia Patriots series.  Taylor orchestrates a trade that changes Ryan’s entire career.  As they deal with one curveball after another, their lives become more entwined by the day. (If you don’t like baseball, you might not like this one too much.)
  8. Deja Date – Susan Hatler – Novella 9 in the Better Date than Never series.  Melinda has guarded her heart since she was fourteen and lost her best friend, her dog and her dad all in the same year.  Now Nate has returned to show her how to embrace life and actually live it.
  9.  A Little on the Wild Side – Robin Kaye – Book 3 of the Wild Thing series.  When Trapper discovers Bianca is pregnant and not taking care of herself, he goes all Alpha on her, repeatedly screwing up as he tries to win her over.

January Reading List

  1. Forever Christmas – Christine Lynxwiler – Fighting for your identity despite what’s best for the greater good.
  2. Just in Time – Barbara Bretton – Book 3 of the Rocky Hill Romance series.  They tried to make it work once before.  Can polar opposites overcome their very different personalities to build a life together?
  3. No Denying You – Sydney Landon – Book 5 of the Danvers series.  A love/hate working relationship gets elevated to the next level.
  4. Calendar Brides – Ginny Baird – Twelve granddaughters work secretly to reunite grandma with her childhood sweetheart.
  5. Reclaiming His Bride – Heather Tullis – Book 3 of the DiCarlo Brides series.  A husband who refuses to sign divorce papers and a baby on the way, not to mention the fake ghost driving the guests away.
  6. Wild Hearts – Heather Tullis – Book 5 of the DiCarlo Brides series.  Amazing how much trouble a dead matchmaking father and a shiny rock can cause.
  7. Always Her Cowboy – Karen Rose Smith – Book 4 of the Search for Love Series.  It takes a near tragedy at Christmas to get past the past and embrace the future.
  8. Deathblow – Dana Marton – Book 4 in the Broslin Creek series.  Broslin’s favorite son Joe has his hands full with an undercover gang op, a murder investigation of a friend, and protecting the mother of his child from her abusive ex.
  9. Daisies in the Canyon -Carolyn Brown – Book 2 of the Palo Duro Canyon series.  Ex-Army Abby is forced to deal with the death of her absent father, her two half-sisters, and Cooper the rancher next door.
  10. Gentling the Cowboy – Ruth Cardello – Book 1 of the Texan Nights Series (was reissued by the author under the title Taken, Not Spurred in the series Lone Star Burn).  A wrong turn lands Sarah on Tony’s ranch .  As much as he hates the intrusion, he can’t seem to let her leave.
  11. Against the Storm – Kat Martin – Book 4 of the Raines of Wind Canyon series.  Trace has his hands full with Maggie and her stalker case which morphs into arson and finally murder.
  12. Kisses After Dark – Marie Force – Book 12 of the McCarthys of Gansett Island series.  A lot happens in the few weeks between McCarthy weddings, focusing on Shane and Katie’s sudden relationship.
  13. Fashioned for Power – Kathleen Brooks – Book 3 of the Women of Power series.  Allegra is out to prove herself capable as she juggles a relationship while fending off a dangerous stalker.
  14. Hometown Love – Christina Tetrault – Book 2 in the Love on the North Shore series.  Jessie eases into a relationship with her high school crush Mack when he returns to raise his daughter in North Salem, only to have it threatened by a jealous ex-wife.
  15. The Trouble with Texas Cowboys – Carolyn Brown – Book 2 of the Burnt Boot, Texas series.  Jill and Sawyer join forces as they fend off the Brennans and the Gallaghers in the ongoing feud.