Progeny of Vale (The Circuit: Book 2) by Rhett C. Bruno

Progeny of Vale: The Circuit by [Bruno, Rhett C.]

4 Stars

Publisher: Diversion Books

Date of publication: March 15th, 2016

Genre: Science Fiction

Series: The Circuit

Executor Rising – Book 1 (review here)

Progeny of Vale – Book 2

Earthfall – Book 3

Where you can buy this book: Amazon

Book synopsis:

In the thrilling sequel to THE CIRCUIT: EXECUTOR RISING, Cassius Vale has drawn the Circuit into open war.

After arriving on Ceres Prime, ADIM, ever the loyal companion created by Cassius Vale, is hesitant to help the Ceresians. Their hatred for his Creator will never wane and he starts to understand the danger all of Cassius’ many rivals pose. ADIM must realize the true magnitude of his abilities in order to keep him safe.

When Sage Volus finds herself a captive of Cassius, she begins to struggle with her role in the coming war, and what exactly it means to be an Executor. The removal of her cybernetic implant reveals emotions she thought she’d buried too deep to be found. She must make a decision on who she truly wants to serve: Cassius Vale, The Tribune, or herself.

After breaking free of the Solar-Ark Amerigo and certain death, Talon Rayne finds himself in unusual company. His quests to hold his daughter again brings him to places he never thought he’d go–into the very arms of his people’s most hated foe.

As the battle grows ever closer, threatening the all-out war that could annihilate millions, these four must determine what part they intend to play, who they will align themselves with, and what it means to be human in a universe where that means less and less.

My review:

This book starts right where book 1 (Executor Rising) leaves off.

Sage awakens on Cassius Vale’s ship, The White Hand, after reliving the worst memory she has, the death Caleb Vale, Cassius’s only son. She has no clue where she is and leaves sickbay to explore. Sage finds out where she is, who she is with and what was done to her. She is sedated and brought back to the medical bay.

Cassius reveals that he was an Executor (which explained things from book 1). He had his implant removed, for the same reasons he removed Sage’s, to free himself from the Tribunal. The implant helped suppress any bad memories but it also allowed the Tribunals to look through the eyes of the person.

ADIM is getting to know the little girl he saved from Kalliope and intends to give the girl to Cassius as a gift to ease his sadness over losing Caleb (big awww moment there). Her name is Elisha and she’s Talon’s daughter. ADIM and Elisha form a friendship while traveling to meet up with Cassius.

Talon escaped the Amerigo with a Keeper, Tarsis, and is floating in space. Tarsis has an advanced case of the Blue Death and sleeps most of the time. They are not expecting to be rescued when a miracle happens, they are picked up by a shipful of Vergent merchants. Their relief is short-lived because right after they are picked up, a Tribunal ship hails the Vergent ship and demands that they allow them aboard for a routine check of the ship. Which they say no to and they make a beeline towards Kalliope on Talon’s suggestion.

Sage is reeling from Cassius’s revelations. She decides to attack him when he comes to visit her one day in the medical bay and make a run for it. But, she doesn’t get far at all. She is subdued by ADIM and taken to the hangar to be put on a ship home. Sage is given a sedative so she won’t be able to tell the Tribunal where she was. But, before she is gone, Cassius makes a series of confessions to her. When Sage awakens, she realizes that Elisha is aboard the ship with her. When she gets in contact with the Tribunal, they have her go right to Cassius’s old compound. There, Elisha is taken from her and she is immediately stripped of her weapons and taken for questioning.

Cassius and ADIM have their own agenda. After seeing off Sage, ADIM detects life aboard the Solar-Ark Amerigo, goes in and discovers carbon copies of itself. Cassius reassures it that those are only copies and that ADIM is the only one with something called “Dynamic Intelligence“. Basically, he is the only one that is self-aware and can make decisions on his own. Which might or might not be a bad thing.

I won’t go into the book after this. I will say that there is a death, a fake death, a couple more revelations and the beginnings of a war.

Sage is becoming my favorite character in this series. In the first book, she seemed like an emotionless robot (not knowing that the implant suppressed her emotions). Once Cassius removed the implant, she started to flush out and by the end of Progeny of Vale, her character was awesome.

Talon is tied for my 2nd favorite character. Even though he is dying, he is willing to not go down without a fight. When he realizes that Kalliope is destroyed and thinks Elisha is dead, he goes into berserker mode.

Cassius is my other favorite character. He has his own agenda and isn’t afraid to pit opposing factions against each other in order to wipe out the Tribunal. I can’t wait to see what he’ll do in the next book.

The book ends on a cliffhanger. If you have been following my blog for any length of time, you know how I feel about cliffhangers. But with this series of books, they actually work. I think that it is because I am actually reading them back to back.

I would give Progeny of Vale an Adult rating. There are sexual situations. There is language. There is violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread Progeny of Vale. I would recommend it to family and friends.

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**

Executor Rising (The Circuit: Book 1) by Rhett C. Bruno

The Circuit: Executor Rising by [Bruno, Rhett C.]

4 Stars

Publisher: Diversion Books

Date of publication: May 19th, 2015

Genre: Science Fiction

Series: The Circuit

Executor Rising – Book 1

Progeny of Vale – Book 2 (Review Here)

Earthfall – Book 3 (Review Here)

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis: 

Centuries after Earth was rendered an uninhabitable wasteland, humanity was forced from its homeworld and founded the Kepler Circuit, a string of colonies throughout the solar system. These settlements provide resources to the remnants of humankind, the most important resource being the newly discovered element—Gravitum—found only in the Earth’s unstable mantle.

But a powerful religious faction known as the New Earth Tribunal has risen to preside over most of the Circuit. Though there is barely a faction left to challenge them, a string of attacks on the Tribunal’s freighters causes them to suspect their mortal enemies, the Ceresians, of foul play.

Tasked with solving the problem is Sage Volus: Tribunal Executor. Spy.

Sage quickly infiltrates the ranks of a roguish, Ceresian mercenary named Talon Rayne, seeking to discover the truth behind the attacks, but the longer she works amidst Talon and his squad, the more she finds her faith in the Tribunal tested.

While her quest for answers only unearths more questions, a new threat is on the rise, and it plans to bring down the Tribune once and for all.

My review:

Cassius Vale is an ex-New Earth Tribunal looking for revenge on his former Tribunals. He blames them for his son’s death, 7 years before. Through his android, ADIM (an acronym for Automated Dynamic Intelligence Mech), he has been attacking the Tribunal’s freighters and stripping them of a newly discovered element called Gravitum. His grand scheme is to bring the New Earth Tribunal to its knees before destroying them.

Sage Volus is a New Earth Tribunal Executor and spy who is sent on a mission to infiltrate the Ceresians’, who are mortal enemies of the New Earth Tribunal. Her job has an Executor is basically to kill targets that the New Earth Tribunal has deemed dangerous to their cause and to their leadership. And right now, the Tribunal is looking at the Ceresians as that because of the attacks Cassius is doing on their freighters.

Talon Rayne is a Cersian miner who has caught the disease called Blue Death. This disease is a result of direct exposure to Gravitum and it cannot be cured. He was forced into hijacking a freighter after the head of the Clan arrested him after he killed a co-worker in an argument (granted the guy had it coming to him). Talon used to be an Enforcer for that Clan and because of that, the new head is willing to cut a deal. Talon hijacks a Tribunal freighter, gets the Gravitum and all is well. If he refuses, Talon has a daughter who is about 6 and, well, use your imagination as to what he threatened.

Sage and Talon’s storyline merges when she is sent to infiltrate the Ceresians and find out who is hijacking the ships. She forms a deep bond with him, to the point when they hijack a ship and get their butts kicked by the Tribunals, she saves his life. He is sent to a Keeper ship (called a Solar Ark) called the Amerigo, where he is to eventually die of the Blue Death.

This book is a fast read. I should have known that it would be because the author’s other books were also fast read.

The action in the books was out of this world. I loved that there were explosions and gunfights.

I also liked that there was a hint of romance between Sage and Talon but that it was left up in the air. It makes me wonder if they hook up in the other books?

The end of the book was a cliffhanger of sorts. I do not like cliffhangers but with this book, it worked perfectly. It makes you want to read the 2nd book to see what is going to happen.

I would give Executor Rising an Adult rating. There are sexual situations. There is language. There is violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread Executor Rising. I would recommend it to family and friends.

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**

Resurrection (The Chronicles Of The Dragonoid: Book 1) by Brian Rankin

Resurrection: Book One of Chronicles Of The Dragonoid by [Rankin, Brian]

5 Stars

Publisher: Page Publishing Inc

Date of Publication: December 7th, 2015

Genre: Fantasy

Series: Chronicles Of The Dragonoid

Resurrection – Book 1

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis:

Since the sacrifice of their greatest hero centuries ago, Valat’s four nations have been at peace. Atticus and his friends worked hard to prepare to compete in the annual games that commemorated their ancient hero’s sacrifice. Their victories are soon forgotten when the games come under attack by the same ancient force that they fought so long ago. Atticus, his friends Ryder and Erin, and newcomer Syler are the only survivors of the brutal attack. They embark on a perilous journey to the Firelands to warn the Lords and raise their armies before it is too late. When Atticus is wounded from a weapon they had never seen before, true friendship is tested and Atticus must discover who he really is and find the key to resurrection before all is lost. Enter a world where elements can be controlled in the palm of your hand, where myths and legends become reality, and where good and evil control the fate of the entire world.

My review:

This book was a well-written fantasy. The world and character building were impressive. The author explains the history of Valat. He explains about the Elementalists who wield the powers of Water, Ice, and Fire. He explains how the nations of Fireland, Woodland, Wetlands, and Icelands were formed. He explains how the infighting decimated the nations until it was decreed that a tournament will be held and the best Elementalists of each land will be the Lords. He explains how that tournament brought about peace and unity and stopped the infighting. Then the Selsians, an empire from the East and who hated magic of any form, invaded Valat and started purging that country of the Elementalists. The Lords started fighting between themselves, leaving the people to be slaughtered. After the fighting stopped, they withdrew into the mountains to rebuild and plan on how to overcome the Selsians.

The war waged on for 3 years and hope was dwindling. Then, a miracle happened. An Elementalist with a power that was vast. He took over leading the people and he alone defeated the Selsian empire, bringing them to their knees and destroying them.

His name? Alcadias and he wielded a sword called Llachar. After the war entered he was given the title of Dragonoid. He eventually married, had a child and moved to a hidden village deep within Valat. His wife’s name was unknown but they had a child. Alcadias also did have an older child, who was called Aris.

His power became a burden and soon he began to fear and hate it. He, somehow, poured his power into the sword, separate it and sent it to 3 locations in Valat that were only known to him. After that, Aris and Alcadias disappeared into a golden light.

It ends up that the story is being read to a young boy called Atticus by his unnamed father. There is a lot of foreshadowing during young Atticus’s conversation with his father.

I love books that have so much backstory. It makes it so much more interesting to read when you know what comes before!!

The story starts 18 years later. Atticus is maybe 20 (I couldn’t exactly place his age) and he is in training to compete in the annual tournament. He is a Master Elementalist and a renowned swordsman. He is summoned to meet with his father, the Lord of the Firelands, Cedric. They discuss the tournament and Atticus takes his leave after an argument involving Lord Cedric’s desire for Atticus to marry. Of course, Atticus is like “No way” (as any normal 20-year-old would be) and it causes them to quarrel. On the way out, Atticus is met by his father’s best friend and advisor, Bacchus, who gives him a cryptic warning. That night, Atticus has a nightmare that seems almost prophetic.

The next day, he meets up with his best friend, Ryder and they head towards Champion Island, where the Tournament is held. The journey there is unremarkable but once they get there, someone seems to have it out for Atticus. He is roomed and then paired in battle with two Icelandic warriors. One he defeated and the other one he was in a battle with when the unthinkable happens, the Selsians attack.

The only ones who survive the massacre at Champion Island are Ryder, Atticus, Lady Erin and Sylor, the Icelandic warrior that Atticus was fighting when the Selsians attacked. Atticus is critically injured during that attack.

I enjoyed reading this book. It had everything. Intrigue, a possible romance (or two), tons of action and of course, fantasy. It is a long book, almost 600 pages, but it definitely doesn’t feel like you are reading a 600-page book.

Atticus and Ryder were definitely my favorite characters in the book. Atticus because he had such strong moral codes and it seemed like he could see beneath people (I am thinking of Sylor) and Ryder because he is so loyal. Plus, they are pretty awesome fighters too.

Erin, I didn’t care for. She absolutely rubbed me the wrong way from the time she was introduced to when she and Atticus were in the cave. After that, I started to develop some respect for her but we’ll see how she is in the second book.

Sylor was a mystery. His hatred of Atticus was unreal but Ryder put him in his place. When he finally did reveal some of his background, it was tragic and I got tears in my eyes reading it.

The end of the book was great and it is totally left open for a book 2.

I would give Resurrection an Older Teen rating. There are no sexual situations. There is language. There is violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 16 read this book.

I would reread Resurrection. I would recommend it to family and friends.

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**

Hatching the Phoenix Egg (Mare Tranquillitatis: Book 2) by Joel Horn

Hatching the Phoenix Egg (Mare Tranquillitatis Series Book 2) by [Horn, Joel]

4 Stars

Publisher:

Date of publication: September 24th, 2016

Genre: Thriller, Suspense, Science Fiction

Series: Mare Tranquillitatis

Lost Coast Rocket – Book 1 (review here)

Hatching The Phoenix Egg – Book 2

Where to find: Amazon

Book synopsis:

Would You Travel a Half-Billion Miles to Escape Your Past?

That’s exactly what Ken O’Brien does in this sequel to Lost Coast Rocket.

Driven by a broken heart and a mysterious compulsion he can’t understand, Ken launches himself into space. During this one-way trip, he has just ten years to answer as many cosmic questions as he can before his body succumbs to the hostile space environment.

But he’s given an unexpected gift and his life is extended. How he spends this gift, however, makes him the most hated man in history. Will the world absolve Ken of his extreme sin? More importantly, will the green-eyed girl who broke his heart forgive him for what he was driven to do?

˃˃˃ Hatching the Phoenix Egg is Book 2 in the epic Mare Tranquillitatis Series

The adventure began in Lost Coast Rocket, the first book of the series.

My review:

This book starts after the launching of the Tranquility and Ken narrowly avoiding being arrested by the FBI. He goes off into orbit around the earth and the moon and starts his journey to Jupiter.

While he is on his way to Jupiter, his friends are left behind to pick up the pieces. Akira breaks the news to Carol and Mary that he will not be coming back and that he was the boy who Dawn was looking for. The FBI investigates them and finds nothing but does take all of Ken’s rockets that were at the clubhouse. Which was no big deal because they didn’t get anything important.

I found Ken’s travel to Jupiter fascinating and very intriguing. It definitely made me wonder when we’ll finally send manned expeditions to Jupiter and its moons. I also thought that him choosing a school to share his journey with was fantastic.

The comet, Ken wanting to save the world from it and how people reacted is totally what I would think people today would act if something like that ever happened. The riots, the food shortages, everything was written about how I expected people to act in an apocalyptic situation.

I did find Ken a bit self-absorbed in this book. But, he was dealing with his own issues and facing his own death. So I understand why he acted that way.

The end of the book was great. So many things were wrapped up and so many storylines, carried over from the first book, were resolved in a satisfactory way. I am wondering if there will be a 3rd book. From the way this one ended, I can see a 3rd one being written.

I will warn everyone, this is not a YA book. The first one, yes. This one, not so much. It is so much darker than the first one. I will also mention that I didn’t get the title until the end of the book.

I would give Hatching the Phoenix Egg an Adult rating. There are sexual situations. There is language. There is violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread Hatching the Phoenix Egg. I would recommend it to family and friends.

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**

King’s Lament by Lilia Blanc

King's Lament by [Blanc, Lilia]

4 Stars

Publisher: Inkitt

Date of publication: December 10th, 2016

Genre: Fantasy, Romance, LGBT

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis:

Betrayed by his advisors, only the love of two mysterious men can rescue Inea and save his kingdom.

After the death of his father, Inea finds himself the unprepared king of a country at war. When his council forsakes him, and he’s thrown into the dungeons of his own castle, the young man manages to escape only with the help of the intriguing stranger Ansyn.

After one year in hiding, Inea, driven by desire, seeks out Ansyn and discovers that there is more to his savior than he could have ever hoped for. Joined by their new ally Kaedon, passion builds, and they find themselves in a romance that helps fuel their plan to reclaim the throne.

My review:

This book was fantastic and I loved reading it. I usually read at night, after the kids go to bed, but this book got escalated to daytime reading.

I am going, to be honest, I couldn’t stand Inea. He came across as a sheltered, spoiled kid who had no clue how to take care of himself. He was always crying over something. I wanted to reach through the book, smack him, tell him to stop crying and start working on how he was going to get his kingdom back – which he eventually did. He also was constantly getting hurt, which baffled me. You would think, with the experienced men/women around him, that he would have been better at defending himself (because they would have had some sort of lessons with him) or that they would be better at keeping him from getting hurt. But, he wasn’t. I mean, Ansym and Kaedon did eventually teach him to defend himself but still.

He did have some good, redeeming qualities. He cared about his people and wanted to get his throne back from the Queen. He loved with all of his heart. He had to have been the most kind-hearted main characters that I have read in a while. But like I said above, I couldn’t get past how he acted in the first half of the book. Drove me crazy go nuts.

I loved Ansym. He is a badass. He could play the violin like a pro and used that talent to stir up a small amount of civil unrest about the Queen’s rule He was also a trained assassin and I wouldn’t want to be on his bad side. Nope, no way. What he does to his enemies (thinking about the boy, Dae, here) is something I wouldn’t wish on my most hated enemy.

He doesn’t show a soft side in the book until he meets Kaedon. At first, what was between them was just sex but you could just see Ansym falling in love with him. I loved watching his walls come down and seeing him fall for someone. Then Inea was added into the mix and seeing him try to battle his feelings for Kaedon and Inea was heartbreaking. When you find out why then you can understand why he was afraid of falling in love.

I do wish that Kaedon did come clean to Inea and Ansym a little earlier in the book. It could have saved Inea an injury/heartbreak and Ansym heartbreak if he did. But on the other hand, I can see why he didn’t.

The sex between all three men was crazy hot. I thought the first time between Kaedon and Ansym was hot but the threesome between Inea, Ansym, and Kaedon was burning and every sex scene after that was just as hot.

Ansym and Kaedon’s ages were a big surprise. For some reason, my mental image of Ansym was of an older man. It was fueled by how he talked about himself and how the others in the party treated him. So, yeah, I was surprised when he finally revealed his age.

The end of the book was pretty routine and the main storyline (plus the other storylines) got wrapped up in a pretty dramatic way. Giving away a small spoiler here but the last battle scene was fantastic and the way it ended. Let’s just say that I felt very, very satisfied after reading it. I like it when a book makes me feel like that.

I would give King’s Lament an Adult rating. There are explicit sexual situations. There is language. There is violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread King’s Lament. I would recommend it to family and friends.

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**

Can’t Forget (Solum: Book 2) by Colleen S. Myers

Can't Forget: If she can't forget her past, she won't have a future. (Solum Series Book 2) by [Myers, Colleen S.]

3 Stars

Publisher: Champagne Books

Date of publication: June 6th, 2016

Genre: Romance, Fantasy

Series: Solum

Must Remember – Book 1

Can’t Forget – Book 2

Distant Memory—Book 3

Before the Fall—Book 4

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis:

Like Roswell meets Lost in Space.

Four months have passed since the E’mani—those pale alien freaks—destroyed the Earth and scooped up the remains. Elizabeth “Beta” Camden was one of those taken. But she escapes and confronts her prior captors successfully with the help of their enemies. Yet she knows the E’mani won’t forget about her. She should stay vigilant and ready. Her heart refuses to listen. Beta falls in love with Marin—he of the hot hands and slit eyes.

Too bad she was right.

This time the E’mani don’t come in force. This time the E’mani slip in silently. And any hope she had of a peaceful life is lost. Beta knows what she has to do and it isn’t playing house. She leaves in the dead of night to find the E’mani stronghold and end them once and for all. But love is a tricky bitch. And Marin refuses to let her throw her life away. It takes a threat to his safety to make her realize, if she can’t forget her past, she won’t have a future.

My review:

I have been spoiled lately. Up until this book, all of the books that I have gotten that have been second books in a series have been standalone. I could read those books and not have to worry about the back story. Then I read this book and broke my streak.

From what I can gather, Elizabeth Camden (aka Beata) was involved in an attack against the E’mani (creepy pale aliens). Her allies are the Fost, long-time enemies of the E’mani. I am going to go out on a limb and say that this book starts a few weeks after that attack.

I could not connect with Beata and actually disliked her during a good part of the book. She came across as abrasive and insecure. My feelings did change towards her but I had to struggle not to let them slide back into the dislike category.

I did feel bad for her during her flashbacks. Back to when she was with the E’mani. I actually shuddered when reading those scenes, they were bad. I wouldn’t wish what she went through on my worse enemy.

The middle of the book is when I started changing my feelings towards Beata. To suffer such a tragedy was unthinkable and I cried with her. But to go off and not tell her husband, not the best decision she made. Then all of the assumptions that she was making about Marin and the other Fost woman were immature. I could see that nothing was happening with Marin. I wanted to reach through the book, slap her and say “Stop being silly before you lose him for good.”

The end of the book was fantastic, with a ton of action and one heck of an ending.

I would give Can’t Forget an Adult rating. There are sexual situations. There is language. There is violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I am on the fence if I would reread Can’t Forget. I am on the fence if I would recommend it to family and friends.

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**

Separate Lives by Kathryn Flett

Separate Lives by [Flett, Kathryn]

4 Stars

Publisher: Quercus (US), Quercus

Date of publication: December 6th, 2016

Genre: Women’s Fiction

Where you can find Separate Lives: Amazon

Book synopsis:

Your partner of ten years, and the father of your children, receives a text. You happen to see it.

‘Start living a different kind of life … P 🙂 xxx’. You don’t know anyone with the initial P, so what’s with the smiley face and the kisses?

Narrated by Susie, her partner Alex and the mysterious ‘P’, Separate Lives is an achingly funny, moving and honest portrayal of marriage and adultery. These characters are never less than totally human. You’ll have met people like them. They might even be you.

My review:

This book is a tear-jerker and it is painful to read such a raw rendition of a relationship that is on its way out. Told from Susie’s point of view, from letters that P writes to her mother and through text messages/emails sent by Alex, it is heartbreaking.

I loved that it was so raw and that nothing was faked. There were a few super funny scenes (the ones where Susie walks in on Phil and Harriette is hilarious) and some that are heartbreaking (the chapter when Susie realizes that it is over and is trying to co-exist with Alex really pulled at my heartstrings).

The ending was a HUGE surprise, even though I did somewhat call it in the middle of the book.

I would give Separate Lives an Adult rating. There are sexual situations. There is language. There is violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread Separate Lives. I would recommend it to family and friends.

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**

Duplicity (Julia Gooden Mystery: Book 2) by Jane Haseldine

Duplicity (A Julia Gooden Mystery Book 2) by [Haseldine, Jane]

5 Stars

Publisher: Pinnacle Books

Date of publication: January 1st, 2018

Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense

Series: Julia Gooden Mystery

The Last Time She Saw Him – Book 1 (review here)

Duplicity – Book 2

Worth Killing For—Book 3

You Fit the Pattern—Book 4

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis:

In Jane Haseldine’s new novel of riveting suspense, Detroit newspaper reporter Julia Gooden is up against the city’s most devious criminal—and her own painful past.

Julia Gooden knows how to juggle different lives. A successful crime reporter, she covers the grittiest stories in the city while raising her two young boys in the suburbs. But beneath that accomplished façade is another Julia, still consumed by a tragedy that unfolded thirty years ago when her nine-year-old brother disappeared without a trace.

Julia’s marriage, too, is a balancing act, as she tries to rekindle her relationship with her husband, Assistant District Attorney David Tanner, while maintaining professional boundaries. David is about to bring Nick Rossi to trial for crimes that include drug trafficking, illegal gambling, and bribery. But the story becomes much more urgent when a courthouse bomb claims several victims—including the prosecution’s key witness—and leaves David critically injured.

Though Julia is certain that Rossi orchestrated the attack, the case against him is collapsing, and his power and connections run high and wide. With the help of Detective Raymond Navarro of the Detroit PD, she starts following a trail of blackmail, payback, and political ambition, little imagining where it will lead. Julia has risked her career before, but this time innocent lives—including her children’s—hang in the balance, and justice may come too late to save what truly matters…

My review:

I was excited when Jane Haseldine contacted me to review her 2nd book in the Julia Gooden series. I had absolutely loved The Last Time She Saw Him and hoped that Duplicity would be just as good. I wasn’t disappointed.

The book starts a few months after The Last Time She Saw Him ended. Julia and David are working on repairing their marriage. David flaked out during the last book and moved out when things got tough. He also had an affair with a fellow lawyer. Julia is working on trusting David and she is going to therapy to help get over the guilt she carried over her brother’s disappearance when she was seven.

Julia is working on a story about Nick Rossi, who is on trial for a number of charges. Which seems like a conflict of interest but she claims it isn’t. The same day that she is going to be in court, following the trail, her son, Logan is going on a field trip to the courthouse. She promises Logan that she will be there for the field trip.

While reading a newspaper, she finds out that the identity of the key witness was leaked to the press. This means that Rossi knows who he is and there is concern that he will try to take him out. She tries to call David to warn him, but he isn’t answering his phone. So she heads towards the courthouse, when the bomb goes off. The bomb kills 13 people and injures many more, including David and the judge presiding over the case. Luckily Logan’s bus got caught up in traffic and never made it to the courthouse.

I loved the whodunit about the bomb because the author kept it under wraps and threw out red herrings left and right. Just when I thought I knew who set it, bam, it goes in a different direction. So when it was revealed who was the bomber at the end of the book, I was very surprised. Probably as surprised as Julia.

David did have my sympathy after he got hurt. But what came to light afterward, well let’s just say that I wouldn’t have been as nice as Julia. I probably would have beaten him in the hospital bed.

The end of the book was awesome. Full of action and surprises, I was kept in suspense until the very end.

I would give Duplicity an Adult rating. There are sexual situations. There is language. There is violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread Duplicity. I would recommend it to family and friends.

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**

Throne of Novoxos (Van Laven Chronicles: Book 1) by Tyler Chase

THRONE OF NOVOXOS: VAN LAVEN CHRONICLES (Book 1) by [Chase, Tyler]

4 Stars

Publisher: Tyler Chase

Date of publication: July 15th, 2014

Genre: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Romance

Series: Van Laven Chronicles

Throne of Novoxos – Book 1

Shadow Reign – Book 2

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis:

All she wanted was to save a life, even if he was her sworn enemy. She didn’t mean to make him fall in love. She didn’t mean to make him break his vow to his people. And sparking a war was the absolute last thing she ever wanted. But all this and more confronts Vaush as she embarks on an epic journey to restore order to the Empire and to take her rightful place with him by her side.

My review:

Another example of me judging a book by its cover/blurb. I really need to stop doing that because I always end up making a fool out of myself when writing the review.

This is a Romeo and Juliet type love story coupled with some good old-fashioned science fiction and fantasy elements mixed in. The only way that it differs from Romeo and Juliet is that Comron and Vaush do not die a star crossed lovers’ death. They come close a few times but they don’t die.

Comron and his father, Crausin, have one of the most complex and disgusting relationships that I have read. They are telepathic, which was fascinating. Especially something major was revealed to Vaush from Comron towards the end of the story. They didn’t use their telepathy to always talk to each other. Crausin used it to take over while Comron is having sex. So, a telepathic threesome. They also shared their women in the physical sense too.

Vaush is the youngest daughter of Larrs Bastionli, the Duke of Tir-Laros. She is also Comron and Crausin’s mortal enemy. Vaush is a woman who loves nothing more than to stay out of her father’s path and do what she loves, which is helping others less fortunate than her.

Vaush and Comron’s paths cross when the transport that she is on is attacked by a terrorist. A bomb explodes, causing the transport to crash. Vaush is largely uninjured but Comron is gravely injured. Vaush finds him in the wreckage, discovers who he is and decides to save him. Comron returns the favor after a panther attacks Vaush in the jungle.

While they are trekking towards the east coast, and hopefully rescue, Vaush and Comron fall in love and do the dirty. They vow to keep seeing each other, on the down-low, after they are rescued.

Once they are rescued, a huge secret about Vaush comes to light. She is the legal heir of the Emperor’s throne. The Emperor took her mother as his first wife, much to the dismay of his ex-wife and their children. When her mother got pregnant, she disappeared and was assumed to have died and her child along with her. Which wasn’t the case. Her transport was waylaid by Larrs Bastionli, her mother severely injured but kept alive to deliver Vaush and then were either killed or died after her birth. Larrs kept Vaush and raised her as his own child. But with the plan that when she old enough, that she will become the Empress and Tir-Laros will have the backing of the Empress.

Only, it didn’t quite turn out that way. There is murder and mayhem once her secret is leaked. The only true ally that Vaush has is Comron but even that is questioned when huge secrets from his past are revealed to her.

I never thought that I would ever say this in a science fiction/fantasy but the sex scenes are insanely good. Each sex scene was better than the next. I loved it!!

The ending of the book threw me for a loop and made me question Comron and his loyalty to Vaush. There were other instances that made me go “Eh” but when I read what I read at the end, I went “Ooooooo….no he didn’t!!” I am actually going to buy the 2nd book because I want to know what happens next.

I would give Throne of Novoxos an Adult rating. There are sexual situations. There is language. There is violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread Throne of Novoxos. I would recommend it to family and friends.

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**

Hers to Heal (Black Eagles Ops: Book 2) by Vonnie Davis

Hers to Heal: A Black Eagle Ops Novel by [Davis, Vonnie]

4 Stars

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Loveswept, Loveswept

Date of Publication: November 22, 2016

Genre: Romance

Series: Black Eagle Ops

Her Survivor – Book 1 (Review Here)

Hers to Heal – Book 2

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis:

In this powerful, sensual romance from the author of Her Survivor, a broken woman meets a shattered warrior—and discovers a passion strong enough to heal each other’s deepest wounds.
 
Navy SEAL Reece Browning sacrificed body and soul in the line of duty. He survived torture at the hands of America’s enemies, but lost his career and his voice in the process. Traumatized and desperate to get his PTSD under control, Reece escapes to Eagle Ridge Ranch. Under the big Texas sky, he finds peace, a renewed sense of purpose—and a woman who makes him feel like a man again. Her smile lights up his dark days, and her caress helps him forget the night terrors.
 
Ex-Marine Gina Wilson also bears painful scars: emotional wounds inflicted by men she once trusted with her life. She has fought hard to overcome her demons and build a good life for her daughter, and Reece is too intense, too damaged, too raw to let into her heart. Yet she’s drawn irresistibly to his steely gaze and heated embrace. No one else understands what it’s like to suffer in silence. And when Gina’s daughter is threatened, it’s Reece who risks everything to save the day.

My review:

I am a big fan of Vonnie Davis. This series that I have been reviewing (Black Eagle Ops) has struck a chord with me. Call me a sap, but I do not like seeing people (even fictional people) in pain and Reese, Ashley and JJ were in a ton of it. My heart broke reading why Reece suffered from PTSD. It broke, even more, when it was revealed what happened to Ashley.

I liked Gina. She took no crap from Reese, at all. Which is fine because a man like Reese needs a strong female who he can’t push around. And he couldn’t definitely push her around.

Piper is my favorite character in the whole book, along with Junebug. She was a 6-year-old wise guy. Her immediate latch on to Reece to be her Daddy was hilarious as was his reaction when she told him. She flat-out told him that he was going to be her Daddy. I did find that she would morph from sounding 6 to sounding 18 and then back in the same sentence. The first time it happened, it threw me off. Didn’t take away from Piper’s cuteness, though.

Once the secondary plot got going, it didn’t lack for anything. The action was great and I did end up in tears when Reese did what he did.

The end was pretty typical and I loved it. I do hope that there is going to be a story on Ashley and JJ or any of the other members of the group.

I would give Hers to Heal an Adult rating. There are sexual situations. There is language. There is violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread Hers to Heal. I would recommend it to family and friends.

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**