They swore they’d be together forever. Detective Charlotte Caissie is suddenly sharing drawer space and making media news with her shape-shifter lover Max Savoie. Knowing the reformed mobster is determined to be accepted by her peers, how can she ask him to return to his criminal roots to help her solve a complex case?
But those they trust the most . . . Going undercover to find the vicious serial killer who kidnapped a colleague’s daughter, Cee Cee is caught between the partner whose integrity she relies on and her fiercely possessive lover. In calling on Max to use his preternatural talents to aide a hated enemy, she crosses a line that strains their relationship to its limits.
Will do anything to tear them apart. With his secret spreading beyond those he can trust, Max is forced to make dangerous alliances to protect his family and his clan. The only certainty he has is his love for his human mate, until the loyalties that define them threaten to divide them forever. My Review:
Bound By Moonlight, book 4 of Nancy Gideon's By Moonlight series, delivers another intriguing, heart-stopping, action packed roller coaster ride. Max Savoie & Charlotte Caissie survived their own version of hell several years ago. They have battled their demons, their opponents and each other to finally publicly declare their love. But it seems the battles have just started. Will this couple ever be able to overcome the obstacles standing in the way of them sharing closet space on a permanent basis? Does a dedicated Detective of the New Orleans Police Homicide Department and the Shifter King CEO of a mob empire stand a snowball's chance in hell of making it work as a mated couple? If love was all that mattered, yes. But is love ever enough?
Detective Charlotte Caissie - tough, sassy, dedicated, hell on heels...she is feeling the heat...torn between the shifter man she loves and her cop family and partner of several years, Alain Babineau. Some of her fellow cops witnessed first hand the monster that Max is hiding inside when he risked his own life to save Alain's stepson, Oscar. But are they thankful enough to keep his secret? Max knows the cops are ready to betray him, but Cee Cee is putting it all on the line to convince them otherwise...is she betting too much? Is she willing to risk Max's love? His life? Loyalties are challenged, Cee Cee must choose once and for all who to trust. She loves Max but the demons in her closet are fighting to escape, and she knows she will need to conquer them before she and Max can move forward.
Shifter King Max Savoie - Dark, sleek, lethal, provoking...some say he's a monster in an Armani suit & red converse sneakers, controlling an empire built on ill gotten gains & a clan of beasts most people never see, even in nightmares. And yet his heart & soul belong to a mortal who has the power to bring him to his knees. Can Max prove himself worthy of Det. Charlotte Caissie's love & loyalty? Can he protect her and others depending on him from the danger no one else sees coming? Time is running out for Max - the walls are closing in, and the demons in his closet are rattling their chains, threatening to bust down the door. He's walking a fine line between the law, a hidden clan of creatures who see him as their King & savior, the unknown danger from the North and doing what he must to protect those he loves. He wants nothing more than to live happily ever after with Cee Cee but he'll have to walk through the swamps of hell once again to get there.
Now Det. Charlotte is racing against time to save a young girl from being the latest victim of a killer who is stalking young strippers in New Orleans, kidnapping & brutally abusing & then killing them. The abuse hits too close to home for Cee Cee, raising nightmares she prefers to keep hidden. She must go undercover with her partner, Alain, to try to flush the killer out. And as time runs out, she risks everything by asking Max to do the one thing that he might not be able to survive. Has she ask too much? Can their relationship survive it?
Bound By Moonlight is a beautiful, brilliant addition to the By Moonlight series...my favorite thus far. Nancy Gideon keeps the action fast, the angst devastating, the sex hot, the love to die for...A must read for lovers of Romance, Suspense, Paranormal and Fantasy. Another book for my Favorites shelf! Loved it!
Rating: 5 Gorgeous ♥♥♥♥♥'s...And that's the truth!
Cross My Heart...xxx Sandra
Quotes: "Chin up, sha. Don't let them see what frauds we are. The tough homicide cop and her mobster-beast boyfriend milling with the city's best. Shall we?"
She hesitated, then said, "I love you, Max."
His breath hitched as if she'd shot a round into his chest. Then his free hand slid over hers and pressed lightly. "That sustains me too." ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Cee Cee felt a stir of air, and her head popped up from the papers strewn across her coffee table. Max was standing on her balcony.
"Geez, I almost swallowed my tongue!"
"That would be a loss, considering what delightful things you can do with it." ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ "I thought for a minute that you asked me to your office for The Talk."
"What talk?"
"About why dogs and cops shouldn't live together?"
His blow-your-hair-back laugh burst out before he could catch it, before he realized she was serious. His other hand scooped under her chin, turning her face toward him. His voice was exquisitely tender. "Why would I want to do that, Charlotte? What possible reason would I have?"
She regarded him somberly. "A lot of them, both two- and four-legged."
A small, mystified smile. "But you're the reason my heart beats." ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Simon O'Neal's causing trouble again. And it's up to Gail DeMarco to stop him.
Gail
DeMarco left Whiskey Creek, California, to make a name for herself in
Los Angeles. Her PR firm has accumulated a roster of A-list clients,
including the biggest box office hit of all—sexy and unpredictable Simon
O'Neal. But Simon, who's just been through a turbulent divorce, is so
busy self-destructing he won't listen to anything she says. She drops
him from her list—and he retaliates by taking the rest of her clients
with him.
Desperate to save her company, Gail has to humble
herself by making a deal with Simon. The one thing he wants is custody
of his son, but that's going to require a whole new image. He needs to
marry some squeaky-clean girl who'll drag him off to some small, obscure
place like Whiskey Creek….
Gail's the only one he can trust. She
agrees to become his wife—reluctantly. But she isn't reluctant because
he's too hard to like. It's because he's too hard not to love!
My Review: It's been some time since I read a good contemporary romance so I was delighted to win a copy of When Lightning Strikes from a Goodreads giveaway. I settled into reading it, not having read anything by Brenda Novak before. I'm happy to say that while I saw where this one was headed early on, I really enjoyed the journey. When Lightning Strikes is about a couple who come together and get married for all the wrong reasons as they don't even like each other. Plain Jane Gail DeMarco is an in-charge business woman running her successful PR company in Los Angeles. Simon O'Neal is a drop dead gorgeous movie star spiraling out of control, using both women and booze. This odd couple's journey begins in turmoil when Gail agrees to marry Simon to improve his image in hopes of getting his son back, in exchange for Simon helping her get her clients back. The marriage bargain is struck for two years...and sex is NOT part of the deal. Right?!
Simon and Gail's marriage begins as a business arrangement with neither wanting or expecting anything more. Gail realizes the only way to help Simon is to get him out of Los Angeles, away from the temptation of both his friends and vices. She convinces him to move with her back to her small hometown, Whiskey Creek. Realizing that he is in serious trouble of never seeing his son again, Simon agrees to live in the little town for 3 months and clean up his act. As their journey begins, they face obstacles one by one - each learning truths and vulnerabilities about the other, as well as strengths. Whiskey Creek and its lifelong residents add a delightful layer to this story, from the small town atmosphere where everyone knows everyone to the acceptance by the locals of the movie star. Will it be enough?
I was surprised to find that I genuinely liked these characters. Gail is a take charge 31 year old woman who doesn't need a man to take care of her. While not a raving beauty, she is prettier than she herself thinks but has a complex over not being "pretty enough" to compete with the bombshells that Simon is continuously photographed with. Since this is a "business arrangement", she is able to let loose, convincing herself that it really doesn't matter as they'll only be together two years anyway. Simon is the sexy movie star that everyone wants a piece of but he is also hiding a vulnerability. He's given up on having anyone accept him for what's inside. He really needs someone to care about the man and see him for what he truly is, not just the movie star. Mix in some secondary characters with their own agenda and things get very complicated for this couple. Simon's past comes knocking, threatening to destroy the relationship Gail is beginning to hope might last beyond the two year contract. When I started When Lightning Strikes, I must admit I was afraid it would be a bit frivolous...plain girl falls for movie star, but it doesn't take long to realize there is more to this book. The author does an outstanding job of peeling back the layers of these characters and getting to what's hidden beneath. What started out as typical, quickly turned into something more as I found myself rooting for Simon and Gail. This is my first Brenda Novak book but it won't be my last! A great read! Rating: 4 Pretty ♥♥♥♥'s...And that's the truth!
I'm excited to have received an ARC of The Singer, the 2nd book in The Irin Chronicles series, by author Elizabeth Hunter. I am participating in a blog tour for the release & will be reviewing the book. Please check back here for exact dates. I fell in love with Ava & Malachi when I read The Scribe and like others, wiped tears as that book ended. It is a must read! You can read my review here: The Scribe Review
Here is the cover & synopsis for The Singer:
When you've lost everything you love, how do you fight the darkness?
Ava left Istanbul with a new identity, new name, and new magic she could barely control. Laid low by Malachi's sacrifice, she searches for help from the fabled Irina. But will the secretive women of the Irin race welcome or shun her? Ava's origins are still a mystery, and her powers are darker than any they've encountered before.
The Irin world hangs in the balance. And as the children of angels battle their own demons, ancient rivalries among the Fallen threaten to wreak havoc on earth.
Thousand of miles away, a warrior wakes with no memory of his identity or his people. Stumbling though the dark and twisted schemes of fallen angels, ravenous Grigori, and even his own leaders, he must find a way back to the one thing he remembers. A single voice calls him. Malachi has one mission.
"Come back to me."
THE SINGER is the second book in the Irin Chronicles, a contemporary fantasy series from Elizabeth Hunter, author of the Elemental Mysteries.
IWSG is a group of writers who share ideas and encourage others. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds! Articles are posted the first Wednesday of every month.
Writing Through the Chaos: Are you one of those writers who can write anytime, anywhere? In your office, at the kitchen table, in a restaurant or a check-out line? Interruptions don't phase you as you answer questions, help kids with homework, cook dinner, & give the dog a bath while continuing to write, never losing a word, page, or chapter? Please share with me how you do that.
Once I start writing, interruptions blow me out of the water. My train of thought is often derailed by chaos around me and quickly lost if someone speaks to me. My husband and I agreed that he wouldn't interrupt if the DND sign was on my closed office door unless the fire department, police, or an ambulance had been dispatched.
It's a good plan but often, as soon as I settle in and the passages start flowing, I hear a tap, tap as he gently knocks on my office door, easing it open and saying, "I hate to interrupt you but..."! If I had a dollar for every time I've heard that neither of us would need to work.
Another culprit is the telephone...How do telemarketers know when I'm deep in thought, churning out pages? Again, my concentration is lost. While I will turn down the volume, I prefer not turning the phone off in case of emergencies. And yes, even the mad buzzing my cell phone makes on vibrate throws me off kilter!
I've tried every trick in the book except maybe the barbed wire! And unfortunately, setting up shop on a deserted island is not an option. Now I'm turning to you, my support group. While I realize that ultimately it's up to me to learn to "tune it out", I welcome your ideas, suggestions, and methods of tuning out the chaos that is the world around us. How do you deal with constant interruptions and still immediately recapture your thoughts and ideas to continue writing your story? Please tell me what works for you.
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