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.

Chloe (Made Men #3) by Sarah Brianne (**)

Chloe’s scarred face makes her the school’s freak. 
Her reflection is a constant reminder of how she got them. 
The man who scarred her haunts not only her dreams, but also her reality. 
Some nightmares don’t go away in the daylight.

Two men stand up to save her from the nightmares. 
Both are men of the mafia, waiting behind a door she doesn’t want to open. 
Amo the soldier and Lucca the underboss.
The Beast and the Boogieman.

Who will she choose?

REVIEW: **

Absolute disappointment! I have been waiting for this book a long time and I am really not happy with it. It was mostly a rehash of Nero. I already read that one...did not need it rehashed in this one. There was no real interaction with either Lucca or Amo that was not done in Nero previously...about two or three scenes new maybe. It was short, no real progress to the story of Chloe and her love interests. And it ended on a cliffhanger..not a good cliffhanger either. I wanted to actually have a good story about Chloe and got what amounts to a prequel of the actual story. At least I hope the next book is the story. Hate having to wait once more for Chloe's story to be told. Overall this book sucked!

Shield of Innocence (Alternate Places #4) by P.S. Power (**)

Everything has happened. Everything will happen again.

Zack Hartley walks the lines between worlds. All of them. That makes him a very powerful, and potentially dangerous, being. A fact that hasn't gone unnoticed by the darkest of enemies, the terrifying monsters that created him in the first place.

Now they seek to use him to their own end. In order to defeat them, Zack is going to need some good friends.

That, and more time than anyone has ever even dreamed about

REVIEW: **

Ok I liked the first two books but by this point I'm getting overwhelmed with all the weird stuff.  It's confusing enough then they throw in whole new dimensions and time warping?  I never really got a feel for what was truly going on or why.. I liked his innocence and the feel of book one and even book two but now I don't know what to think.  Every person they encounter is suddenly special or has some connection to what's going on and now they all have doubles in the other worlds that aren't really doubles but minds are similar? Confusing.  I have no idea where this series is leading and I think I'm done with it.  It's just way too out there for me.  I could not really follow what was going on in this one and not sure I even care anymore.  

Distance (Distance #1) by Andrea Heltsley (*)

Lexi has sworn off guys for good.
She’s always been a hot mess, but accidentally finding her boyfriend of three years cheating on her is just too much for her to handle. 
All she wants is to get this summer done and over with, so she and her best friend Elena can travel cross country for college. Then she will finally be free of this town, the friends that dropped her in favor of her ex, and her klutzy reputation.
Lexi's policy was working perfectly, until a guy named Mason comes to her rescue. Not once but twice in one night. For once, her mishaps have led to something good.
She’s feeling things that scare her, but she’s drawn to him. Can Mason break through her walls, or will she stick to her plan and steer clear of him? 
This is a new adult romantic comedy.

REVIEW: *

Disappointed in this one. I was hoping for an entertaining read, but instead I was bored to death. A lot of this book was just "thoughts" and those thoughts were  a lot of the same just regurgitated in a new way. I ended up skimming through most of it to finish and was disappointed in the ending as well. Looks like there is a second book to finish this out, but I have no intention of reading it. I don't really care what happens with these characters.

The characters were also much younger than I expected. I was thinking from the blub that they would be 20 somethings, not 18 or so and just graduating high school.

The writing felt stilted, dry and uninspired.

Junkyard Dog by Bijou Hunter (***)

Angus Hayes is as mean as a junkyard dog. Well, that’s the rumor Candy Wilburn hears before taking the job as his assistant. Hayes doesn’t disappoint. He’s a giant man with a big mouth and a bigger ego. In the town of White Horse, what the gorgeous and dangerous Hayes wants, he gets. Now he wants his sassy assistant.

Candy has no doubt Hayes will make a great lover, but she doesn’t want to be her boss’s booty call. At first anyway. Once he shifts from boss to friend and lover, Candy falls hard. Now she can only hope the filthy-mouthed outsider she loves will open his heart and learn to trust.

Junkyard Dog is a standalone romance with adult language, violence, and sexual situations.

REVIEW: ***

Not your average Romance Novel. It was good, well written, but it was hard for me to read. The characters weren't sweet in any way..no real redeeming qualities in either the hero or heroine. Even the kids were not classically cute/smart. But it did pull me in right away and kept me reading. the author did a great job at actually telling this strange tale.