City of the Lost (Casey Duncan #1) by Kelley Armstrong (*****)

Casey Duncan once killed a man and got away with it. Since then she’s become a talented police detective, tethered only to her job, her best friend, Diana, and the occasional evening with her sexy, no-strings-attached ex-con lover, Kurt. But then Diana's abusive ex finds her again, despite all Casey has done to help her disappear. And Casey’s own dark past begins to catch up with her. The two women need to run—and Diana’s heard of a place where they won’t be found, a town especially for people like them…

REVIEW: *****

Loved it!  It caught me in the first chapter and did not let go the rest of the book. I really enjoyed this one. The characters were interesting, the story line solid with lots of little twists and surprises.

I almost did not read this one. I know the author is known for her paranormal romance stuff and I was not wanting to read that right now. But the blurb sounded interesting and not in the paranormal genre so it intrigued me. I am so glad I chose to read this. Sucks having to wait another year for the next in this series. I really want to read more about these characters. Definitely recommend this one!

Call to Arms (Black Fleet Trilogy #2) by Joshua Dalzelle (****)

From Joshua Dalzelle comes the follow up to the #1 Bestseller “Warship.” 

Captain Jackson Wolfe survived the initial incursion of a vicious alien species into human space … barely. 
He had assumed the juggernaut that had devastated three Terran systems was the herald for a full invasion, but for the last few years it has been eerily quiet along the Frontier. 
Jackson now struggles to convince the Confederate leadership the threat is still imminent and needs to be taken seriously. While powerful factions make backroom deals he is desperate to find irrefutable proof that the invaders are coming and that if humanity expects to survive they must marshal their forces and make a stand. Now.

REVIEW: (****)

Much better than book one overall. I really liked this one. The story was faster paced, more action and the development of the characters were much better as well. I was listening to this on audible download in the car and found myself wanting to listen once I got home as well...unusual for me. I really only listen to books in the car, but I was liking this and wanted to continue at home as well. That's always a sign the book is interesting and fun to me. Recommend the series, but warning that the first book was a bit slow to start.

Warship (Black Fleet Trilogy #1) by Joshua Dalzelle (***)

In the 25th century humans have conquered space. The advent of faster-than-light travel has opened up hundreds of habitable planets for colonization, and humans have exploited the virtually limitless space and resources for hundreds of years with impunity. 
So complacent have they become with the overabundance that armed conflict is a thing of the past, and their machines of war are obsolete and decrepit. What would happen if they were suddenly threatened by a terrifying new enemy? Would humanity fold and surrender, or would they return to their evolutionary roots and meet force with force? One ship—and one captain—will soon be faced with this very choice. 
Against incredible odds, Jackson Wolfe is determined to save humanity–and in the process, might end up saving himself. 


REVIEW: ***

This book started off pretty slow moving and quite honestly a bit boring. It did get better as it went on, but I really only started to enjoy it toward the last quarter of the book. Prior to that there was no real action or anything else to really hold my interest. If I had been reading the actual book instead of listening to it on Audible I probably would have stopped reading and not continued. That would have been a mistake though. The story picked up and the action started and I was hooked at that point. In fact I just downloaded the second book in the series from Audible and have started listening to that as well.

I did end up liking this story and the main Character quite a bit actually. He is a flawed human, but unlike a lot of books he is a bit older than the average 20-30 somethings you find in a lot of the space epic stories and I quite enjoyed it by the end of the book. worth a look if you can get through the boring/slow beginning.