(31) Hot Secrets

Title: Hot Secrets (Tall, Dark, and Deadly) by Lisa Renee Jones
Publisher: Lisa Jones
197 pages
Genre: Romance

I received this book from the publisher through netgalley.com in exchange for a fair review. 

Synopsis: The Walker Brothers... Tall, dark, and deadly, these three brothers run Walker security. Each brother is unique in his methods and skills, but all share key similarities. They are passionate about those they love, relentless when fighting for a cause they believe in, and all believe that no case is too hard, no danger too dark. Dedication is what they deliver, results are their reward.

HOT SECRETS: (Book 1) Royce Walker, a former FBI Agent, who's opened a private security firm with his brothers, has always had the hots for the prim, proper Assistant District Attorney, but considered her hand's off because of a family connection. However, when danger threatens Lauren, he isn't willing to stand by and watch her get hurt. Now the passion for survival is only rivaled by the passion burning between them. And that passion, might just be the death of them both.

Review: Hot, Hot, Hot.  How many women don't want a ripped, tall, dark and deadly man to sweep them off their feet, keep them safe, respect their job and make their nights memorable?   Is this your typical romance? Yea its pretty formula but who cares sometimes you just need to escape.  Loved it.

(30) Frenemy of the People

Title: Frenemy of the People by Nora Olsen
Publisher: Bold Stroke Books
264 pages
Genre: YA/ LGBT

I received an advanced e-copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in return for an honest review.

Synopsis: Clarissa and Lexie couldn’t be more different. Clarissa is a chirpy, optimistic do-gooder and a top rider on the school’s equestrian team. Lexie is an angry, punk rock activist and the only out lesbian at their school.

When Clarissa declares she’s bi and starts a Gay-Straight Alliance, she unwittingly presses all of Lexie’s buttons, so Lexie makes it her job to cut Clarissa down to size. But Lexie goes too far and finds herself an unwitting participant in Clarissa’s latest crusade. Both are surprised to find their mutual loathing turning to love.

A change in her family’s fortunes begins to unravel Clarissa’s seemingly perfect life, and the girls’ fledgling love is put to the test. Clarissa and Lexie each have what the other needs to save their relationship and the people they love from forces that could tear them all apart.


Review: I could try to pick this book apart like some other reviews but lets face it this book is geared toward a younger crowd then me and to be honest I don't really have much negative to say.  I loved Lexie.  I thought she was great.  The story seemed to center more on Clarissa and her family and one complaint might be that I wish I would have known more about Lexie's family, but then again I think maybe Lexie would have liked to have known them better too.  Clarissa's family was a mess but seemed to really pull it together in the end.  I think it may have been harder in reality for someone to handle all that they were going through but sometimes we need happy endings.

There are pieces of the story that definitely were more of a wish then a reality but how many books don't have something like that in them...and doesn't that make it more fun to think you can do something and get away with it?

There were many different themes touched on in this book as well it doesn't just center around lgbt. It hit on standing up for yourself, mental health, siblings, teens who are differently challenged, the mortgage crisis, and a few others I may have missed. I just felt that overall it was well written, entertaining, and even a little bit informative.

(29) Above

Title: Above by Isla Morley
Publisher: Gallery Books
384 pages
Genre: Fiction/womens fiction

I received an e-galley of this book from the publisher through netgalley.com in exchange for a fair review. 

Synopsis: Blythe Hallowell is sixteen when she is abducted by a survivalist and locked away in an abandoned missile silo in Eudora, Kansas. At first, she focuses frantically on finding a way out, until the harrowing truth of her new existence settles in—the crushing loneliness, the terrifying madness of a captor who believes he is saving her from the end of the world, and the persistent temptation to give up. But nothing prepares Blythe for the burden of raising a child in confinement. Determined to give the boy everything she has lost, she pushes aside the truth about a world he may never see for a myth that just might give meaning to their lives below ground. Years later, their lives are ambushed by an event at once promising and devastating. As Blythe’s dream of going home hangs in the balance, she faces the ultimate choice—between survival and freedom.

Review: This book is two different stories, one of Below and one of Above. Blythe is kidnapped and forced to live for 17 years in a missile silo with the man who abducted her. Mister is a survivalist, he is convinced the world is going to end and they are going to be the Adam and Eve of the new world. While Below Blythe gives birth to two children. The first is stillborn and the second, a son she raises until he is 15 and they are finally able to escape.

What they escape to is not the same world that Blythe left. As we go Above I felt as though the book jumped the shark a bit. It goes from believable to almost fantasy strange. I'm not sure why the author went in this direction but I felt the book lost some of its credibility and it lost me. I was excited for them to escape and then left hanging.

(28) The Tyrants Daughter

Title: The Tyrant's Daughter by JC Carleson
Publisher: Knopf for young readers
304 pages
Genre: Fiction

I received an e-galley of this book from the publisher through netgalley.com in exchange for a fair review. 

Synopsis: When her father is killed in a coup, 15-year-old Laila flees from the war-torn middle east to a life of exile and anonymity in the U.S. Gradually she adjusts to a new school, new friends, and a new culture, but while Laila sees opportunity in her new life, her mother is focused on the past. She’s conspiring with CIA operatives and rebel factions to regain the throne their family lost. Laila can’t bear to stand still as an international crisis takes shape around her, but how can one girl stop a conflict that spans generations?

Review: This could be a modern day awakening story.  Laila flees her country to the USA with the help of the CIA after her father is killed by her Uncle in a coup. Of course she only really knows part of the story when she first arrives in the US and struggles to fit in to the American school she now attends.  Used to living in a palace, and tutored at home the freedom she finds in America is overwhelming.  She finds the concerns and pranks that the American children play and worry about to be trivial and can't quite grasp it all.  She tries to fit in but finds herself drawn back in to the politics of her home country by her mother. But this time she isn't going around blind. She studies and learns about the regime that her father led and watches as she learns that her mother isn't as broken or out of touch as she thinks.  In fact she is playing a very dangerous game and Laila and her brother are the pawns. By the time the book ends Laila is no longer the naive young girl dutifully following orders but a more worldly person who has decided she needs to take control of her life instead of blindly following those around her who only seem to want to use and manipulate her and her family to their own ends.

This is a very interesting easy to understand look inside how the US plays politics in other countries. While this is a young adult book its an interesting read for anyone.

(27) The Undead Pool

Title: The Undead Pool (Hollows) by Kim Harrison
Publisher: Harper Voyager
423 pages
Genre: Fantasy

Synopsis: Supernatural superhero Rachel Morgan must counter a strange magic that could spell civil war for the Hollows in this sexy and bewitching urban fantasy adventure in acclaimed New York Times
Witch and day-walking demon Rachel Morgan has managed to save the demonic ever after from shrinking, but at a high cost. Now, strange magic is attacking Cincinnati and the Hollows, causing spells to backfire or go horribly wrong, and the truce between the races, between Inderlander and human, is shattering. Rachel must stop this dark necromancy before the undead vampire masters who keep the rest of the undead under control are lost and all-out supernatural war breaks out. Rachel knows of only weapon to ensure the peace: ancient elven wild magic, which carries its own perils. And no one know better than Rachel that no good deed goes unpunished....

Review: Rachel is more than what she seems.  The only day walking demon she is always being blamed for things but this time Rachel seems to be the only one who may be able to save everyone.  Typical fun Rachel Morgan book and I'm happy to see that Trent is starting to make more of an appearance.

Apparently this is the second to last book in this series which is due to end in 2015 which bums me out because not having Rachel, Jenks, Trent, and Ivy around will make life much duller.  So in the spirit of tying up loose ends this story opens up many doors and helps explain some things that go on in this crazy world.

I can't really say much without giving away the plot so I will stop here and say if you've read the other Rachel Morgan books you will like this one...if you haven't what are you waiting for?