Friends With Benefits Review

Title:  Friends With Benefits
Series:  Beta Brothers #2
Author:  Hazel Kelly
Genre:  Romance
Publisher:  Amazon Digital Services LLC
Release Date: Aug. 8, 2018
Purchase Link: Amazon

My Rating:  4 Sassy Hearts


*With many thanks to the author for a review copy of this book.


Synopsis:
Carter's been crazy about Nina since the first time he saw her emerald eyes, but his fratastic reputation landed him in the friend zone before he even had a chance to say, "How you doin'?"

So when Nina suggests they become friends with benefits, he can't believe his luck.

After all, once he's gotten in her pants, winning her heart should be easy... right? 

Review:

Is there anything better than a good friends with benefits romance?  I mean it just sounds sinfully delicious, doesn't it?  It's been a long dry stretch for Nina as she's gun-shy after some bad breakups.  She's ready to dip her toes back into the water, but only for sex . . . absolutely no emotional attachments allowed.  Carter is the college campus stud - a real hottie that women desire and men envy.  He's mister love 'em and leave 'em begging for more.  Who could have known Carter had his eye on hot, little green-eyed Nina for anything more than a romp in the hay?  Not her, for sure.  After a crazy night of drinking, they wake up naked in the same bed, and an agreement to be friends with benefits is signed, sealed, and delivered . . . with an addendum including the hook-up rules - friend zone only.  What will happen when they both venture across the line, breaking their own rules?

Friends With Benefits is a charming, sassy, emotional rollercoaster for both readers and these characters.  Told through alternating first-person pov chapters, readers get inside each character's head while they are both in the dark as to what the other is thinking.  What ensues is a series of misunderstandings and miscommunications leading to hidden feelings and mixed signals that greatly increase the danger of someone getting hurt.  While this can be an overdone trope, Kelly keeps the emotions real and the action moving with a lot of witty banter, sizzling sexual encounters, and inner emotional turmoil.  The result is a relatively low-angst, yet highly entertaining romance featuring two well-fleshed out, likeable characters that are easy to pull for.  This one will tug on your heart-strings even as you scream "tell him/her how you really feel"!  Friends With Benefits is a flirty, emotionally-charged Must Read!  I loved it!

My Rating:  4 Sassy Hearts . . . And that's the truth!

Cross My Heart . . . xxx

Sandra

Prisoner of Night Revew

Title:  Prisoner of Night
Series:  Black Dagger Brotherhood #16.5
Author:  J.R. Ward
Genre:  Paranormal Romance
Publisher:  Gallery Books
Release Date:  Jan. 7, 2019
Purchase Link:  Amazon

My Rating:  4 Bleeding Hearts

Synopsis:
From #1 New York Times bestselling author J.R. Ward comes an unforgettable story of passion and vengeance set in the Black Dagger Brotherhood world.

When Ahmare’s brother is abducted, there is nothing she won’t do to get him back safely. She is unprepared, however, for the lengths she will have to go to save his life. Paired with a dangerous but enticing prisoner, she embarks on an odyssey into another world.

Duran, betrayed by his father, imprisoned in a dungeon for decades, has survived only because of his thirst for vengeance. He has been biding his time to escape and is shocked to find an unlikely and temporary freedom in the form of a determined young female.

Battling against deadly forces and facing unforeseen peril, the pair are in a race to save Ahmare’s brother. As time runs out, and the unthinkable looms, even true love may not be enough to carry them through.

Review:

As a Black Dagger Brotherhood fan, I’m game for anything that resides in the same world.  And as I read the opening pages of Prisoner of Night, I knew I was going to be consumed alive by another dark, raw, compelling story by the master J.R. Ward.  Once I began, the outside world ceased to exist for me until I read the final page of this novella – one that reads with the depth of plot and fully-explored characterizations of a full-length book.
  
Ahmare is on a mission to free her brother from the horrors of evil warlord Chalen’s dungeon.  She does the unthinkable in order to fulfill the terms of Chalen’s agreement only to be told it’s not enough to settle her brother’s debt.  Chalen charges her with one final challenge - to find and bring back his beloved.  Duran has been held captive and brutally tortured in the same dungeon as Admare’s brother for 21 years.  Admare and Duran must work together to retrieve the object of Chalen’s desire.  It is through their journey and intimate talks together that we learn the depth of both their sad pasts.  Duran’s is especially tragic, and my heart bled on the pages as he opened his to Admare.  He’s on a mission for revenge while she’s focused on freeing her brother.  Is it possible for both to achieve their goal without hurting the other?

There’s no easing into Prisoner of Night as the action is immediate and ongoing in this raw, gutsy novella.  The contrasts between good and evil, love and hate, forgiveness and revenge are clearly defined and thought-provoking.  All of it swirling together swept me up in a whirlwind of emotion that had me fighting tears as the outcome is unclear until the very end.  Prisoner of Night is another knockout in this fantastic series.  And I suspect we haven’t heard the last from this couple, including some outstanding support characters like Shadow Nexi (I hope!).  A raw, gritty, Must Read addition to the Black Dagger Brotherhood world!  I loved it!

My Rating:  4 Bleeding Hearts . . . And that's the truth!

Cross My Heart . . . xxx

Sandra

The Hubley Case Review

Title:  The Hubley Case
Author:  J. Lee
Genre:  Suspense Thriller
Publisher:  Moonshine Cove Publ., LLC
Release Date:  Nov. 6, 2018
Purchase Link:  Amazon
Website:  www.jleethrillers.com

My Rating:  3 Manipulative Hearts!

*With many thanks to the author & publicist for a copy of this book.


Synopsis:
American businessman Peter Hubley lays sprawled across the floor of a Brazilian airport, cappuccino dripping down what remains of his forehead. Within an hour, his killers are dead and their bodies stolen. When an organized crime syndicate claims responsibility for the savage murder, questions are raised and the case is assigned to Special Agent Nikki Benton.

To Benton, a straight-laced FBI veteran, the Hubley case is an unusual and much-anticipated opportunity to prove herself and get out from under the thumb of her misogynistic boss. But she quickly realizes that nothing about it adds up and she may be in over her head. Her instincts prove true when her prime suspect Ben Siebert, a rebellious ex-Marine with a questionable past, is pressing a Glock 27 to her temple.

The two are forced to work together when they learn that everything - the death of the killers, the public's assumption Hubley was hiding something, even the case being assigned to Benton - was part of a carefully orchestrated plan...and that they are the next targets. But to stop a formidable perpetrator intent on killing thousands of innocent people, they must risk everything and reveal the shocking truth behind the Hubley case.

Review:

The Hubley Case is an intense international thriller that opens with American businessman Peter Hubley being murdered in a very public, daring manner in the Brazilian Airport.  The two gunmen responsible dropped their weapons immediately, lying down to await arrest.  In a strange twist, they both mysteriously died before they could be interrogated for murder, and their bodies are stolen leaving no chance of an autopsy.  And that's just the beginning of this strange, twisted case in which nothing and/or no one is as they seem.  

Relatively inexperienced FBI Agent Nikki Benton is surprised but happy to be assigned the Hubley case.  It doesn't take long for her to cross paths, investigate, and then supposedly team up with Ex-Marine Ben Siebert who's looking into the murder as a favor to Hubley's widow.  It's soon clear Ben is one intense, complicated, deadly man with much more to him than meets the eye as he harbors secrets and nurses old wounds.  I found Ben to be an intriguing, well-fleshed out character with an aura of mystery surrounding him.  On the other hand, I struggled with Nikki and felt she couldn't carry her weight as she came off a bit too naïve with repeated displays of childish behavior - especially for her status as an FBI agent.  The chemistry I had hoped for between them just never completely gelled, and I had trouble viewing Nikki as a professional or reliable partner.  The story plays out through several twists and turns as the author shows expertise in manipulating these characters through a convoluted plotline, keeping readers engaged and guessing.  It took me some time to figure out what was going on and while I wasn't shocked by the big reveal at the end, it didn't lessen the enjoyment of the journey in getting there.

The Hubley Case is an intriguing mystery thriller, and I was engaged throughout trying to unmask the man directing the deadly, mysterious, masterfully planned game.  Bodies fall like dominoes as the villain meticulously eliminates every threat to his endgame. He's always a step ahead of Ben and Nikki with his identity unknown to both them and readers until the very end.  The author delivers some heart-pounding moments in this debut novel and while I felt the story labored a little under the weight of excessive details in the middle, Lee brings it home with a bang.  All in all, an enjoyable, manipulative, cunning tale of greed and murder.  A Must Read!

My Rating:  3 Manipulative Hearts . . . And that's the truth!

Cross My Heart . . . xxx

Sandra

Every Last Breath Review

Title:  Every Last Breath
Series:  Final Hour #1
Author:  Juno Rushdan
Genre:  Romance/Suspense Thriller
Publisher:  Sourcebooks Casablanca
Release Date:  April 30, 2019
Purchase Link:  Amazon

My Rating:  4 Explosive Hearts


*With many thanks to the publisher for an arc of this book via Netgalley


Synopsis:
48 hours
2 covert operatives
1 chance to get it right

Maddox Kinkade is an expert at managing the impossible. Tasked with neutralizing a lethal bioweapon, she turns to the one person capable of helping her stop the threat of pandemic in time: the love of her life, back from the dead and mad as hell at her supposed betrayal. Recruiting Cole to save millions of lives may be harder than resisting the attraction still burning between them, but Maddox will do whatever it takes...even if it destroys her.

When Maddox crashes back into Cole Matthews' life, he wants to fight back. He wants to hate her. But the crisis is too strong to ignore, and soon the two former lovers find themselves working side-by-side in a breakneck race to stop a world-class killer with a secret that could end everything.

Review:

I love discovering new-to-me authors who can deliver the goods as Juno Rushdan does in Every Last Breath.  This book is an intense, explosive Romance Thriller that begins with a bang and never lets up.  Maddox Kinkade is an expert undercover operative for the Gray Box Black Op Unit on covert assignment to defuse a threat by a group hellbent on releasing a lethal bioweapon upon the innocent masses.  Maddox made a huge mistake nine years ago when she unknowingly betrayed the trust of the love of her life . . . a mistake that cost him, Cole Matthews, everything including the life of his father as well as his own life.  Or did it?  When Maddox is ordered to meet a man and solicit his help in preventing the ultimate disaster, she is shocked to come face to face with the presumed dead love of her life.  Where has he been for nine years?  As shocked as Maddox is, Cole is just as surprised and angry as he's never forgiven his former lover's betrayal.  As the clock is ticking and time is running out, these two professionals must let bygones be bygones and work together someway, somehow.  Meantime, they're walking a fine line between love and hate because the one thing they haven't lost is the explosive chemistry sparking between them.  Can they keep it together long enough to save the world from a madman?

Take a breather before you start Every Last Breath because you won't get another one until you finish!  This book packs a wallop in every way - nonstop action, explosive scenes, espionage, sizzling passion - all well-written and expertly woven into plot lines that had me burning through the pages.  I enjoyed the strong support cast and would love to see more of these characters.  I also liked that the author managed to make me feel a little empathy for the villain, and that's not easy to do!  While most things are resolved in this book, I like that there's an ongoing story arc that I assume we'll explore more of in coming books in the Final Hours series.  Every Last Breath is an emotional, second-chance romance thriller that kept me riveted to the pages and my seat all the way through.  Grab this one and read it the first chance you get as it's A Must Read!

My Rating:  4 Explosive Hearts . . .  And that's the truth!

Cross My Heart . . . xxx

Sandra

48hours
2covertoperatives
1chancetogetitright

MaddoxKinkadeisanexpertatmanagingtheimpossible.Taskedwithneutralizingalethalbioweapon,sheturnstotheonepersoncapableofhelpingherstopthethreatofpandemicintime:theloveofherlife,backfromthedeadandmadashellathersupposedbetrayal.RecruitingColetosavemillionsoflivesmaybeharderthanresistingtheattractionstillburningbetweenthem,butMaddoxwilldowhateverittakes...evenifitdestroysher.

WhenMaddoxcrashesbackintoColeMatthews'life,hewantstofightback.Hewantstohateher.Butthecrisisistoostrongtoignore,andsoonthetwoformerloversfindthemselvesworkingside-by-sideinabreakneckracetostopaworld-classkillerwithasecretthatcouldendeverything.
48 hours
2 covert operatives
1 chance to get it right

Maddox Kinkade is an expert at managing the impossible. Tasked with neutralizing a lethal bioweapon, she turns to the one person capable of helping her stop the threat of pandemic in time: the love of her life, back from the dead and mad as hell at her supposed betrayal. Recruiting Cole to save millions of lives may be harder than resisting the attraction still burning between them, but Maddox will do whatever it takes...even if it destroys her.

When Maddox crashes back into Cole Matthews' life, he wants to fight back. He wants to hate her. But the crisis is too strong to ignore, and soon the two former lovers find themselves working side-by-side in a breakneck race to stop a world-class killer with a secret that could end everything.48 hours
2 covert operatives
1 chance to get it right

Maddox Kinkade is an expert at managing the impossible. Tasked with neutralizing a lethal bioweapon, she turns to the one person capable of helping her stop the threat of pandemic in time: the love of her life, back from the dead and mad as hell at her supposed betrayal. Recruiting Cole to save millions of lives may be harder than resisting the attraction still burning between them, but Maddox will do whatever it takes...even if it destroys her.

When Maddox crashes back into Cole Matthews' life, he wants to fight back. He wants to hate her. But the crisis is too strong to ignore, and soon the two former lovers find themselves working side-by-side in a breakneck race to stop a world-class killer with a secret that could end everything.48 hours
2 covert operatives
1 chance to get it right

Maddox Kinkade is an expert at managing the impossible. Tasked with neutralizing a lethal bioweapon, she turns to the one person capable of helping her stop the threat of pandemic in time: the love of her life, back from the dead and mad as hell at her supposed betrayal. Recruiting Cole to save millions of lives may be harder than resisting the attraction still burning between them, but Maddox will do whatever it takes...even if it destroys her.

When Maddox crashes back into Cole Matthews' life, he wants to fight back. He wants to hate her. But the crisis is too strong to ignore, and soon the two former lovers find themselves working side-by-side in a breakneck race to stop a world-class killer with a secret that could end everything.
48 hours
2 covert operatives
1 chance to get it right

Maddox Kinkade is an expert at managing the impossible. Tasked with neutralizing a lethal bioweapon, she turns to the one person capable of helping her stop the threat of pandemic in time: the love of her life, back from the dead and mad as hell at her supposed betrayal. Recruiting Cole to save millions of lives may be harder than resisting the attraction still burning between them, but Maddox will do whatever it takes...even if it destroys her.

When Maddox crashes back into Cole Matthews' life, he wants to fight back. He wants to hate her. But the crisis is too strong to ignore, and soon the two former lovers find themselves working side-by-side in a breakneck race to stop a world-class killer with a secret that could end everything.48 hours
2 covert operatives
1 chance to get it right

Maddox Kinkade is an expert at managing the impossible. Tasked with neutralizing a lethal bioweapon, she turns to the one person capable of helping her stop the threat of pandemic in time: the love of her life, back from the dead and mad as hell at her supposed betrayal. Recruiting Cole to save millions of lives may be harder than resisting the attraction still burning between them, but Maddox will do whatever it takes...even if it destroys her.

When Maddox crashes back into Cole Matthews' life, he wants to fight back. He wants to hate her. But the crisis is too strong to ignore, and soon the two former lovers find themselves working side-by-side in a breakneck race to stop a world-class killer with a secret that could end everything.

IWSG: If Pennies Were Wishes . . .

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group is a website media business with affiliates to enhance our service to visitors. We are a home for writers in all stages; from unpublished to bestsellers. Our goal is to offer assistance and guidance. We want to help writers overcome their insecurities, and by offering encouragement we are creating a community of support. Visit IWSG to learn more about this great writing community!

  

IWSG posts the first Wednesday of every month. It's a great writer's resource that I'm sure you'll find well worth your time. Be sure to stop by and visit with other IWSG Members.  

Many thanks to this month's co-hosts: J.H. Moncrieff,  Natalie Aguirre,  Patsy Collins, and Chemist Ken!  Make sure to stop by to visit each of them and thank them personally!

IWSG Day Question: If you could use a wish to help you write just one scene/chapter of your book, which one would it be?

Oh my!  If pennies were wishes, right? 

Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way and all the wishing in the world isn't going to get your scene, chapter, or book written for you. We all know that takes time, dedication and a lot of hard work, don't we?

But IF wishes were magical and always came true then I'd probably wish for help with my opening scene/chapter as it's where I most often struggle with self-doubt as I have a tendency to second-guess myself.  I'm always paranoid that my opening scene isn't compelling enough to snag readers attention and draw them in.  I often struggle with the decision of whether to write a Prologue or jump right into the current mayhem in my characters lives.  As a reader, I know how important those first few pages are because heaven knows they've either hooked me or caused me to put a book back on the shelf more than once.  So yes - when I rub my magical penny and toss it in the wishing well, chances are good I'll be asking for help and guidance writing my opening scene.  

How about you?  Which scene or chapter in your book would you wish for help in writing?