I got the idea and the motivation to start doing Tackling The TBR from All The Book Blog Names Are Taken. It has helped me to keep track of my reading shelf as far as current events and to tidy up my shelves. I feel better about my out of control TBR and have even knocked off a couple of those old ones that had been hanging around for years.
MY REVIEW for The Rumor That Refused To Die by Chris Verstraete
“Do you mean that story wasn’t true?…It says the policeman died in 1950 after his car fell into a giant sinkhole. I thought newspapers had to print the truth?”
“You be the judge,” her teacher said.
The Rumor That Refused To Die by Chris Verstraete shows how quickly a story changes, from person to person and time to time.. Amanda takes her school assisgnment and runs with it, digging deep, and I love where Chris went with the story. It had me smiling, because I have seen a movie with a creature like this, so it was easy to visualize. What is released to the public is far from the truth, so being prepared is impossible. If you want to know the truth of anything, you must seek it out from many sources, and then you may still never know. After all, who really shot John F Kennedy?
MY REVIEW for the anthology as a whole
O is for Outbreak is a part of a twenty six horror anthology series. It is the fifteenth book, and if the other 14 were anything like this, I am sorry I missed them. Many of the thirteen short stories are pandemic related, so I think most of us can relate to them. Brain eating larva, viruses, insects, government conspiracies, the evil eye, a giant worm, and so much more had goose bumps running up and down my spine. I was caught up in the creepy and didn’t stop until I read the last story. The wonderful thing about an anthology, you can pick it up for a quickie no matter where you are.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of O Is For Outbreak
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
O is for Outbreak is the fifteenth book in an epic series of twenty-six horror anthologies. In this book you will find a selection of thirteen unsettling tales from some of the most talented independent horror authors writing today. From government conspiracies to historic plagues, otherworldly viruses to deadly insects, O is for Outbreak brings a wide selection of pandemic-inspired horror tales that will have you hiding away, face mask in place.
Protecting Sparrow by Jane Blythe is Book IV of the Prey, but the series is part of something so much bigger. There are many more books and authors putting their own spin on the Operation Alpha World.
About Operation Alpha
Operation Alpha is the fan fiction world for Susan Stoker’s SEAL of Protection, Delta Force Heroes, and Badge of Honor: Texas Heroes Worlds. The books all have at least one of Susan’s characters in them. Check it out at Aces Press.
I was excited to begin Protecting Sparrow by Jane Blythe. I don’t know why, but I didn’t connect with Protecting Sparrow like I did the first three books in the series. That doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy my trip to Africa. After all, I know danger and romance are on the way.
It all starts with Sparrow’s helicopter being shot down. She is a member of the Air Force’s Nightstalkers, the best of the best. She knew the helicopter was too badly damaged after being hit by a missile to stay in the air. A crash was eminent. Who would survive? AND…go figure. She was going home to New York tomorrow…NOT.
There’s a couple storylines going on at the same time. One I knew about because of the last book, Protecting Falcon, which is still ongoing. Bringing Ethan Zimmerman into the story created the second. He came to her rescue and they were both kidnapped by a drug trafficker.
They had been friends for a long time and she wondered if there could be more. Ethan had lost his wife and could not get past it. He felt moving on was a betrayal, but…Sparrow had a big heart and knew what to say to reach people. She was a calm in the storm, yet she could fight like a hellcat when called upon to do so.
The last part of the book didn’t go the way I thought and I do love when I can’t see it coming.
All in all, an entertaining read and I look forward to getting my hands on Book V, Protecting Hawk, and his one night stand.
There are some very sad moments and lots of running from danger, a missile, a catastrophic crash and Colt….OMG! A punch to the gut.
On that note:
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Protecting Sparrow by Jane Blythe.
3 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Grief is all that’s stopping this friendship becoming more.
When Sparrow Oswald’s helicopter is shot down in Africa the last person she expects to come to her rescue is her old friend Ethan Zimmerman. She’d love for there to be more between them but he’s not over his wife’s death. As they work together to find who is using Ethan’s plane to smuggle drugs the spark between them grows. Only question is will Ethan do anything about it.
Ethan isn’t looking to move on. He’s already loved and lost and no way is he willing to open his heart up to let it happen again. But when he and Sparrow are kidnapped by a drug trafficking warlord and have only each other to rely upon he can’t deny that feelings he didn’t want are there nonetheless and they’re growing. He’s going to have to look at his life and decide what he wants his future to look like, only by the time he makes those decisions it might be too late.
ABOUT JANE BLYTHE
USA Today bestselling author Jane Blythe writes action-packed romantic suspense and military romance featuring protective heroes and heroines who are survivors. One of Jane’s most popular series includes Saving SEALs, part of Susan Stoker’s OPERATION ALPHA world! Writing in that world alongside authors such as Janie Crouch and Riley Edwards has been a blast, and she looks forward to bringing more books to this genre, both within and outside of Stoker’s world. When Jane isn’t binge-reading she’s counting down to Christmas and adding to her 200+ teddy bear collection!
One Hundred Dreams Kelly Collins (An Aspen Cove Romance, #22) Publication date: December 29th 2022 Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
He’s a man trying to keep things under control. She’s a woman yearning to break free. Is this a disaster waiting to happen or a love story in the making?
Actress Cameron Madden is sick and tired of being tired. With her last movie failing at the box office and her career in question, she heads to Aspen Cove to lick her wounds. The small mountain town is the perfect place to escape the prying eyes of a critical public, the demands of her career, and the rules set by her team. Expecting a female bodyguard named Valery, she’s shocked to find the script has been flipped and Valery is a tall, dark, and annoying man who goes by Val. The first thing he does is hand her a set of rules—his rules. And she plans to break every one of them.
The last thing bodyguard Valery Armstrong wants to do is babysit an actress, but when the job comes in, he is the only one available. Saving the day and picking up the pieces is what he’s been doing since his father passed away. That single event ten years ago taught him one thing—prepare for every possibility. Before agreeing to take on Cameron, he asks himself how difficult could one woman be? When he arrives, he hands her the list, then watches as she gifts him with a heart-stopping smile—right before tearing the page to pieces. How difficult could one woman be? Cameron Madden is about to show him.
He pulled an envelope from his pocket and handed it to her. “These are my rules.”
She seemed to sink in front of him, but it was a momentary muscle lapse before that invisible string pulled her back up. Only this time, it seemed to drag her forward to stand in front of him. She swiped the envelope from his hand and tore open the flap. Once she drew out the single page with his rules, she let the envelope fall to the floor.
He watched as her eyes moved across the page. Second by second, they grew until he was sure they’d pop from her skull.
She raised her head and stared at him. “Are you serious?”
“Why would I give you that if I wasn’t serious?”
“It’s a page with one rule. You said rules.”
He smiled. “I don’t need more than one.”
She glanced at the paper and lifted her head. “You make all the rules?” She stared at him like he’d sprouted a horn in the center of his forehead.
“That’s my one rule. Take it or leave it.”
Her jaw dropped, and she took a step back. “What are you going to do? Leave?” She tore the page in half and let the pieces fall to the marble floor next to the envelope. “You’re not the boss, and you don’t make the rules.”
“Wrong.” He turned around, walked back to the elevator, pushed the button, and waited.
“You’re seriously leaving? How am I supposed to get to Colorado?”
He took several cleansing breaths before he spun around to face her. “Nothing has changed. You have a flight waiting at Los Angeles International Airport. It will take you to Denver, where you’ll have to get a ride to Aspen Cove. Rent a car. It’s only a few hours’ drive from there to your destination.”
She seemed to wobble on her heels. “You’re abandoning me?”
He shook his head. “I’m not. I gave you my rules, and you dismissed them. You don’t get to be the top private security firm in the country if you break your own rules, and my only rule is I make the rules.” The elevator door opened, and he stepped inside. “I’ll give you ten minutes to decide. If you’re not down in the lobby by then, I’ll leave. It’s that simple.”
She opened her mouth to speak, but the doors closed before she could get a word out.
Author Bio:
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International bestselling author of more than thirty novels, Kelly Collins writes with the intention of keeping love alive. Always a romantic, she blends real-life events with her vivid imagination to create characters and stories that lovers of contemporary romance, new adult, and romantic suspense will return to again and again.
Kelly has sold more than a quarter of a million books worldwide, and in 2021 she was awarded a Readers’ Favorite Award Gold Medal in the Contemporary Romance category for A Tablespoon of Temptation.
You can learn more about Kelly at www.authorkellycollins.com.
I love finding new author’s and sharing their debut novels, like Under One Roof by Iris Yamashita.
A blizzard in a small town in Alaska. Oh yeah, I am intrigued from the getgo. THEN, add 205 residents that all live in the same highrise. Nothing could possibly go wrong, right?
A boot with a foot. A hand. Washed up on shore. I have seen TV shows about the body parts that wash ashore in the Northwest. Really creepy and using this topic to get Cara to the small town of Point Mettier, Alaska, with her own reasons for wanting to investigate, begins the mystery and danger that is to follow.
I shiver as she drives through the tunnel. It is one way and switches directions every half hour. I felt a bit claustrophic with her. Two and a half miles. I get creeped out in the drive through car wash. LOL
The highrise used to be an army post, with tunnels because of the weather and to keep from being seen. Of course, kids are going to explore and even though I think I would be creeped out, I would have to explore too.
All towns have secrets, but small towns make it much harder to keep them. Everyone knows everyone. They live and breathe in the same space.
The descriptions of the highrise and the people are richly detailed. It made it easy for me to paint pictures in my mind. I love odd characters and City Under One Roof has its fair share. Are they on the run?
I could hear the wind howling, I could feel the icy cold.
Told, mainly, from three characters point of view: Cara, who is a detective from Anchorage, Alasksa, Amy, who is the teenager that found the body parts, and Lonnie, who came to live in the high rise after leaving a mental institution. She is one of the best characters, her and Denny. And Susie, always hanging out in the hallway.
City Under One Roof by Iris Yamashita has all the elements I look for in a thriller, a fabulous location and the storm is a bonus, great characters, danger, intrigue and mystery.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of City Under One Roof by Iris Yamashita.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
A stranded detective tries to solve a murder
in a tiny Alaskan town where everyone lives in a single high-rise
building, in this gripping debut by an Academy Award–nominated
screenwriter.
When a local teenager discovers a severed hand
and foot washed up on the shore of the small town of Point Mettier,
Alaska, Cara Kennedy is on the case. A detective from Anchorage, she has
her own motives for investigating the possible murder in this isolated
place, which can be accessed only by a tunnel.
After a blizzard
causes the tunnel to close indefinitely, Cara is stuck among the odd and
suspicious residents of the town—all 205 of whom live in the same
high-rise building and are as icy as the weather. Cara teams up with
Point Mettier police officer Joe Barkowski, but before long the
investigation is upended by fearsome gang members from a nearby native
village.
Haunted by her past, Cara soon discovers that everyone
in this town has something to hide. Will she be able to unravel their
secrets before she unravels?”
ABOUT IRIS YAMASHITA
Iris is the Academy Award nominated writer for the movie LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA, directed by Clint Eastwood. The film received a Golden Globe award for “Best Foreign Language Film” and was nominated for 4 Oscars®, including Best Original Screenplay. Her debut novel, CITY UNDER ONE ROOF, the first in a mystery series, will be released by Berkley Group in January, 2023.
Skull’s Vengeance(Curse of Clansmen and Kings Book 4) by Linnea Tanner
GENRE: Historical Fantasy
BLURB
A Celtic warrior queen must do the impossible—defeat her sorcerer half-brother and claim the throne. But to do so, she must learn how to strike vengeance from her father’s skull.
AS FORETOLD BY HER FATHER in a vision, Catrin has become a battle-hardened warrior after her trials in the Roman legion and gladiatorial games. She must return to Britannia and pull the cursed dagger out of the serpent's stone to fulfill her destiny. Only then can she unleash the vengeance from the ancient druids to destroy her evil half-brother, the powerful sorcerer, King Marrock. Always two steps ahead and seemingly unstoppable, Marrock can summon destructive natural forces to crush any rival trying to stop him and has charged his deadliest assassin to bring back Catrin's head.
To have the slightest chance of beating Marrock, Catrin must forge alliances with former enemies, but she needs someone she can trust. Her only option is to seek military aid from Marcellus—her secret Roman husband. They rekindle their burning passion, but he is playing a deadly game in the political firestorm of the Julio-Claudian dynasty to support Catrin's cause.
Ultimately, in order to defeat Marrock, Catrin must align herself with a dark druidess and learn how to summon forces from skulls to exact vengeance. But can she and Marcellus outmaneuver political enemies from Rome and Britannia in their quest to vanquish Marrock?
EXCERPT
PROLOGUE
White Cliffs in Southeast Britannia,
Eve of Samhain, 31 October, 26 AD
Three human skulls hung over King Marrock’s stallion, dangling from a rope like ornaments. Feeling as invincible as a god, he rode to the precipice of the sheer cliffs and listened to the roar of the waves crashing below. Yet, the raven soaring overhead chilled him to the bone—an omen he was but mortal and could plunge to his death.
He embraced the warmth of Boudicca, his younger half sister, who sat astride his horse in front of him. A toddler full of mirth, she was a healer who could connect to the souls of the dead.
Whereas their mother accused him, also known as Blood Wolf, of being a soulless murderer.
On this eve of Samhain, Marrock knew the souls of the dead freely roamed among the living. He spotted his deadliest assassin, Gawain, searching for the wraith on the emerald hilltop. Gawain had a blue, triangular tattoo of a dagger’s blade on his forehead and deadly weapons underneath his black cloak—the royal insignia of the red dragon stitched to the front panel.
For Marrock, the Otherworldly dragon, with its leathery wings and fiery breath, symbolized perpetual power. It was said that where dragons trod, mystic energy flowed. The untamed beast guarded the portal into the Otherworld.
He yearned for the dragon’s mystic power—the power to summon forces from the earth’s molten underbelly to immolate his rivals.
Gawain pointed to a pile of rocks. “The sheepherder saw the wraith over there,” he said in his deep, gravelly voice.
Marrock handed Boudicca to him and then dismounted, pulling the rope of skulls off his horse and draping it over his shoulders. His family’s skulls served as a warning to anyone who threatened his sovereignty.
Until now, he had only been able to summon the deadly powers from the skulls of his stepmother and bastard sister; their souls were encased in the bone crowns. The soul of his father, King Amren, still eluded Marrock, even after he had sliced off his father’s head. If his father’s soul was indeed wandering the hilltop, he would imprison it in the largest empty skull he had.
Then, he would be able to unleash the collective forces from all three souls.
Glancing all around, he could not see his father’s ghostly figure in the thickening fog. Boudicca’s gleeful giggle roused his attention. He watched her waddle toward a mound of stones and place her tiny hands on the stacked rocks.
“Pa. Pa. Am,” she squealed with delight.
Marrock cast a glance at Gawain. “Did the sheepherder see the wraith disappear into those rocks?”
Gawain nodded. “Indeed, I believe so.”
Marrock transferred the roped skulls from his shoulders to the grassy ground and looked at Gawain. “Help me remove the rocks so I can see what is underneath.”
Gawain joined Marrock in the task of removing the white stones one by one. They inspected each rock for any defect before setting it aside.
Boudicca, mimicking the men, picked up flint pebbles and dropped them on the chalky ground.
After a while, they uncovered the gemstone handle of a dagger; its blade was embedded in a coil-shaped serpent stone. Marrock recognized the jewel-studded dagger as once belonging to his father. Intrigued, he gripped the handle with both hands and strained to pull it out, his muscles aching and his face dripping with sweat from the effort.
Suddenly, to his shock, the hilt turned sizzling hot. He jerked his hands away and inspected the blisters that had formed on his reddened palms. Hearing Boudicca’s gleeful babble, he looked down just as she gripped the dagger’s handle.
“Pa. Pa. Am,” she trilled.
To Marrock’s surprise, Boudicca’s hands did not burn.
A prickling sensation noosed around his neck as he recalled the original curse cast by his mother just before his father had executed her.
The gods demand that the scales be balanced for the life you take. If you deny my soul’s journey to the Otherworld by beheading me, I curse you to the same fate as mine. I prophesy your future queen will beget a daughter who will rise as a raven and join your son, Blood Wolf, and a mighty empire will overtake your kingdom and execute my curse.
King Amren had etched the words of the curse on the dagger’s blade using the Roman alphabet with the belief he could thwart the dark prophecy.
Marrock shuddered.
Does my father’s soul live in the dagger? Has he come back to exact vengeance on me?
AUTHOR Bio and Links
Award-winning author, Linnea Tanner, weaves Celtic tales of love, magical adventure, and political intrigue in Ancient Rome and Britannia. Since childhood, she has passionately read about ancient civilizations and mythology. Of particular interest are the enigmatic Celts, who were reputed as fierce warriors and mystical Druids.
Linnea has extensively researched ancient and medieval history, mythology, and archaeology and has traveled to sites described within each of her books in the Curse of Clansmen and Kings series. Books released in her series include “Apollo’s Raven” (Book 1), “Dagger’s Destiny” (Book 2), “Amulet’s Rapture” (Book 3), and “Skull’s Vengeance” (Book 4). She has also released the historical fiction short story, “Two Faces of Janus.”
A Colorado native, Linnea attended the University of Colorado and earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in chemistry. She lives in Fort Collins with her husband and has two children and six grandchildren.
Non, je ne regrette rien (No I don’t regret anything)
Reading A Reservoir Man by L J Ambrosio was me stepping outside my comfort zone and I am so glad I did. A Reservoir Man has a deeper meaning in the story than just a title for the book.
From the day he was born in 1947, Michael was looked at differently. He had a harelip and all the old wives tales and folklore made his life more difficult than it had to be, but his parents loved him, unconditionally. His innocence makes him a victim to those who prey on the naive. I love that he was able to rise above it. Some people are givers, some people are takers, and Michael is a giver. I love that he is an observer. I, too, like to people watch. We both have an affinity for benches, a great place to watch people from. He was used and abused, yet still kept moving forward. I felt so many emotions while reading A Reservoir Man. The story feels like a true life biography. AND, the ending….brought tears to my eyes. Well done, L J.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of A Reservoir Man by L J Ambrosio.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
A Reservoir Man, critics have hailed this explosive and timely work as “a must-read coming-of-age story of 2022.” Twists and turns further pull the reader in to Michael’s action-packed tale, with powerful themes, from betrayal and family to secrets and identity. “Be sure not to blink because you just might miss a pivotal moment in Michael’s rousing, larger-than-life story.” –R.C. Gibson, Indiestoday. “This book is a dream, a gamble, a utopia, even.” — Kalyan Panja, Bookmarkks.
ABOUT L J AMBROSIO
Louis J. Ambrosio ran one of the most nurturing bi-coastal talent agencies in Los Angeles and New York. He started his career as a theatrical producer, running two major regional theaters for eight seasons. He taught at over 7 universities in America. Ambrosio also distinguished himself as an award-winning film producer and novelist over the course of his impressive career.
The Weepers series by Nick Chiarkas got even better than Weepers, Book I, in Book II, Nunzio’s Way. I have grown to love these characters, no matter what bad things they do. The series raises that age old question, nature or nurture. Are we a product of our environment? I cannot imagine what it would be like growing up in the housing projects, wondering, every time you step out your door, is this the day I die?
The Prologue will give you a glimpse into Nunzio Sabino’s life to catch you up, as told by Father Joe to Father Casimiro, a new man in town. Nunzio had been in love…It is tragic, heartbreaking, and brutal. It also explains why Nunzio trusts few people. He was thirteen and the five of them, Nunzio, Father Joe, Pompeo, George and Nick, meet every Tuesday, even to this day.
“Does Nunzio ever worry about some ambitious hooligan wanting to take over?”
“Nunzio is the top lion. He is constantly watched by the ambitious and the aggrieved. He can’t show weakness. He can’t let a single insult – especially a public one – go unchecked. Continued leadership requires constant vigilance and no margin of error. None.”
Angelo, I have been with him since he was seven years old, struggling to find his place in the violent world he lives in. He will have to fight for it, maybe even kill for it, and everything has a price to be paid.
I do love an author who isn’t afraid to kill off his characters, even some that I have come to care about. He took me by surprise and I was even a little ticked off. Well done.
Nick Chiarkas brings to light many problems that persist to this day. I felt their need to kill or be killed. If you read his biography, I think you will get the same impression I did. That the Weeper series feels all too real. Gang warfare in the 1960s…has it changed?
Once I started reading, I couldn’t stop. I knew a lot of the characters from Weepers, so I was already involved in their lives, but Nick Chiarkas too me to a whole new level. The violence, the brutality, the love, loyalty and betrayal, the flawed characters that stole my heart, I will not soon forget.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Nunzio’s Way by Nick Chiarkas.
5 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
“In this city, you can have anything you want if you kill the right four people.” ~ Nunzio Sabino
In Weepers (Book 1), Angelo and his gang, with a bit of help from his beloved “uncle” Nunzio Sabino, defeated the notorious Satan’s Knights. Now, in this standalone sequel to Weepers, it’s 1960 and Nunzio is still the most powerful organized crime boss in New York City, protecting what’s his with political schemes and ‘business’ deals.
Against this backdrop of Mafia turf wars, local gang battles, and political power-plays in the mayoral election, the bodies begin stacking up. An unlikely assassin arrives fresh from Naples after killing a top member of the Camorra to avenge the murder of her family. She blends seamlessly into the neighborhood and with the focus on the threat from the Satan’s Knights, no one suspects that Angelo’s father and Nunzio are next on her hit list. Nunzio has lived his entire life by the mantra; Be a fox when there are traps and a lion when there are wolves. Will Nunzio be a lion in time?
ABOUT NICK CHIARKAS
Nick Chiarkas grew up in the Al Smith housing projects in the Two Bridges neighborhood on Manhattan’s Lower East Side.
When he was in the fourth grade, his mother was told by the principal of PS-1 that, “Nick was unlikely to ever complete high school, so you must steer him toward a simple and secure vocation.” Instead, Nick became a writer, with a few stops along the way: a U.S. Army Paratrooper; a New York City Police Officer; the Deputy Chief Counsel for the President’s Commission on Organized Crime; and the Director of the Wisconsin State Public Defender Agency.
On the way to becoming an author, he picked up a Doctorate from Columbia University; a Law Degree from Temple University; and was a Pickett Fellow at Harvard. How many mothers are told their children are hopeless? How many kids with potential simply
Her Best Friend’s Brother Yahrah St. John (Six Gems, #1) Published by: Harlequin Desire Publication date: December 27th 2022 Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Childhood friends become forbidden lovers in this sexy start to the Six Gems series from Yahrah St. John.
Their fiery affair fulfills her fantasies… And puts everything at risk.
When travel blogger Wynter Barrington’s wealthy, disapproving family cuts her off, she finds comfort in a passionate chance encounter with Riley Davis, her best friend’s brother. He’s hot as hell…and totally off-limits.
And when they meet again months later, they begin a sizzling affair. Wynter knows Riley doesn’t do love and marriage, but her youthful crush is feeling more and more like a real relationship. If she’s not careful, Wynter may put more than her relationship with her best friend on the line. Can she survive falling in love with the one man she was never supposed to touch?
Riley brought Wynter to his bed. He wanted to make love to her properly. That first time in his living room had been a feverish coupling because of the intense attraction they felt. But now, he wanted to take his time. If tonight was all he had, he wanted to show Wynter how much pleasure they could have together.
Wynter wasn’t some naive virgin. She returned his touches and kisses and showed him she knew exactly how to make him moan. And when she wanted to be on top, Riley let her without hesitation. She was skilled and brought them both to a culmination that had Riley seeing stars.
Eventually, they took a shower together, but even that turned into a sensuous glide of naked bodies that kept them up until the wee hours of the morning. Afterward, Riley fell into a deep sleep, which was unusual for him. For years, he’d never been able to get more than four or five hours of sleep because, when he was a teenager, he’d been on high alert. He had to make sure his mother was okay and wouldn’t harm herself. The pattern stuck when he went to college and then, later, law school. The long nights of studying to stay on top and be the best took their toll until Riley didn’t need much sleep to operate.
But last night, he’d slept like a baby because he’d had Wynter’s lush body wrapped around him. However, awakening this morning, something was very clear.
He was in bed alone.
Sometime in the early morning, after they’d just had the best sex of his life, Wynter had slipped away from his bed. Riley sat upright. That had never happened before. He was used to being the one who left, not the other way around.
Riley didn’t know whether he should be offended or not. Or perhaps Wynter hadn’t been as satisfied as he thought last night? No, he shook his head. Women could fake it, but Wynter hadn’t faked a moment of their intimacy. He could tell. She was responsive and very vocal about what she wanted. She hadn’t been afraid to take charge of her pleasure or his.
Riley groaned when he thought about the way she’d wriggled down the bed last night to position her head close to his groin. The way she’d run her fingertips over his erect shaft. Her touch had been featherlight, as if she’d reveled in the sensation of having him at her mercy. He’d been enthralled, and rather than fight it, he’d given in. She’d bent her head, taken him in her mouth and sucked him.
Afterward, she’d raised her head and given him a triumphant smile, all the while licking her lips as she caught a drop she must have missed.
It was one of the most erotic experiences of his life. Wynter had moved to the top of the list as the best lover he’d ever had. Although he wished they could have a repeat of the night before, Riley appreciated that Wynter understood the parameters. As a result, she’d left of her own accord, without him having to show her the door like some of his ex-lovers.
At least he would always have the memory of their one hot night. But, in the back of his mind, Riley would always wonder what might have happened if she had stayed.
Author Bio:
Yahrah St. John is the International author of forty books. She became a writer at the age of twelve when she wrote her first novella after secretly reading a Harlequin romance. Throughout her teens, she penned a total of twenty novellas. Her love of the craft continued into adulthood. She’s the proud author of thirty-nine books with Arabesque, Kimani Romance and Harlequin Desire as well as her own indie works.
When she’s not at home crafting one of her spicy romances with compelling heroes and feisty heroines with a dash of family drama, she is gourmet cooking or traveling the globe seeking out her next adventure. For more info:www.yahrahstjohn.com or find her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Bookbub or Goodreads.
Protecting Falcon by Jane Blythe is Book III of the Prey, but the series is part of something so much bigger. There are many more books and authors putting their own spin on the Operation Alpha World.
About Operation Alpha
Operation Alpha is the fan fiction world for Susan Stoker’s SEAL of Protection, Delta Force Heroes, and Badge of Honor: Texas Heroes Worlds. The books all have at least one of Susan’s characters in them. Check it out at Aces Press.
I have read numerous books in the Special Forces: Operation Alpha series and this is my third book in the Prey Security series by Jane Blythe. I have read a lot of Jane’s stories and eagerly crack the cover on every book I get my hands on. Protecting Falcon was no different. In fact, I was even more eager than usual, because I knew Hope was in dire straits and Cam was going to be the one to save her.
Hope is no wimp. She has a quiet strength about her. She had risked her life to help another slave, who happened to be Cam’s sister. He and his team were able to get Raven and her daughter out, but had to leave Hope behind.
Prey Security is owned by Cam and his five siblings. The whole family has a need to make sure Hope is rescued. She went above and beyond anything that could have been asked of her to help Raven and her daughter, Cleo.
Cam is a bit grumpy, like Walter Matthau in Grumpy Old Men. When he finds Hope, in a cage, wondering if she is alive, I think his heart skips a beat. He is quiet and she is a talker. What’s that saying about opposites attract?
“You’re really here for me?”
As soon as Hope said that my eyes teared up. I can visualize her, looking at him with soft eyes filled with wonder. Such innocence, considering the things that have been done to her by the traffickers and the evil man that revels in her pain and degradation. Little does he know, the things being done to her do not define her.
I knew how she came to be there because of reading Book II in the series, Protecting Raven, but Jane Blythe does fill in the blanks so the story can stand alone, but once you meet Prey Security, I think you may want to get each character’s story.
Jane Blythe kept me dragging myself through the Amazon rain forest, hunted, hurt, tired, hungry, thirsty, and falling for the handsome special forces man that came specifically for Hope. Danger surrounds them and getting out will not be easy.
Of course, they are going to fall in love along the way. Are any of us surprised? I would be let down if they didn’t. After all, this is romantic suspense. We have some fun dialogue and I love to smile while the characters are running for their lives. 🙂
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Protecting Falcon by Jane Blythe.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Sparks fly when opposites attract.
When Hope Delancey showed kindness to another slave, she never expected it to put her in the crosshairs of a dangerous man. After weeks of being held captive she’s rescued by a gruff, grumpy, intimidating soldier who obviously wishes he was anywhere but in Colombia rescuing her. But Hope sees through the cold exterior to the man underneath, a man she could fall in love with, a man who has already told her he has nothing to offer.
Falcon Oswald never again wants the responsibility of someone else’s life resting in his hands. But that’s exactly the position he finds himself in when he agrees to honor the promise he made to his sister to rescue Hope. Now they’re running for their lives through the Amazon rainforest, and as Hope impresses him with her strength over and over again he realizes walking away from this woman might prove impossible, even if its what’s best for her.
ABOUT JANE BLYTHE
USA Today bestselling author Jane Blythe writes action-packed romantic suspense and military romance featuring protective heroes and heroines who are survivors. One of Jane’s most popular series includes Saving SEALs, part of Susan Stoker’s OPERATION ALPHA world! Writing in that world alongside authors such as Janie Crouch and Riley Edwards has been a blast, and she looks forward to bringing more books to this genre, both within and outside of Stoker’s world. When Jane isn’t binge-reading she’s counting down to Christmas and adding to her 200+ teddy bear collection!
