Prisoner of Love by Cathy Skendrovich

When Lucy set out for a weekend of fun with friends, she could not have imagined how wrong her plans would go. She is stopped along the road trying to correct a wrong turn when a member of the prison work crew she passed on the road jumps in and takes her hostage with a homemade knife. The convict, Jake, is actually an undercover cop, but he can't tell her and risk blowing his cover. He acts the past of a felon knowing he is terrifying Lucy, but believes it is the best way to keep her safe. All Lucy can think about is how to escape. Unfortunately, Jake foils her every attempt. When she wakes up the next morning and finds herself alone, she is relieved. She reports everything to the police and then returns to her own life. She tries to move on and forget everything, but then an injured Jake shows up at her door. He finally tells her the truth and asks to simply hide out in her apartment. She relents, but when an attacker comes for her, Jake realizes he has linked her to him and now needs to keep her with him to keep her safe.

The two take off on the run intent on proving Jake's innocence and catching a mobster in the process, but they also have to face the increasingly strong feelings they have for each other.

I enjoyed the story, especially Jake's quirky sense of humor and cute nicknames.

I received an ARC from the publisher through Net Galley.

Redemption River by Lindsay Cross

This book is the first in a new series. Several characters ( the members of Hunter's task force team) are introduced right off the bat. They have a funny sense of humor and the team camaraderie reads very strong. After returning from a disastrous mission overseas, a connection is found in the U.S. linking back to the terrorist they had been tracking. Jake and his team are sent undercover back to his hometown where he is expected to get in with the suspect in any way possible. The only problem is that the suspect is Evie, Hunter's former lover. He has tried to convince himself over the years that he hates her, but if sleeping with her will get him the answers he needs, he has no problem with it. What Hunter doesn't know is that after he left her, Evie chose a man on the rebound and ended up in a sickly abusive relationship. She got out but still lives in terror of her ex. Now, her ex has leveraged her cooperation with something illegal, and she can't find a safe way out of it. When Hunter throws himself into the mix, things become just as dangerous as they are complicated. He quickly realized Evie isn't the criminal he was led to believe, but will she still want him after she finds out why he sought her out in the first place?

This book was wall to wall action. Once the danger hit, it never slowed down. I was actually late leaving my house this morning because there was no way I could stop reading at 95%. I absolutely had to know how it was going to end. A little blurb at the end of the epilogue caught me by surprise and made me very excited about the next book. Lindsay Cross is absolutely going on my favorite authors list.

I received an ARC from Net Galley.

Lethal Game by Julie Rowe

I kept putting off reading this book because I wasn't sure I would like it. It was a little outside of my norm. I'm not much for medical stories or sad stories, and this seemed like it might be a bit of both. Fortunately, I got bored and decided to give it a try. I was hooked from the beginning and kept sneaking a few paragraphs in on my phone even when sitting in the drive through line because I couldn't put it down. I can't recall reading this author before, and I definitely haven't read the first book in this series, although it didn't affect my enjoyment of this story. It completely worked as a standalone.

The story focuses on a military biological response team tasked with tracking outbreaks caused by a particular biological terrorist in the middle east. Sophia is the best doctor for determining the cause of illness and the treatment. Though she has been sick most of her life, she has special dispensation for the military due to the extreme need for her skills. Unfortunately, she is getting sicker every day but refuses to let it be known in fear of being pulled from her work and sent home. As the terrorist begins to attack the very tall force tracking him down, security is increased, and Sophia is assigned a partner of sorts/ bodyguard, Connor. While Sophia knows she will likely die on this mission, Connor kind of hopes to. After losing his team, suffering life threatening injuries, and enduring a long recovery, all he wants to do is get revenge. If he dies trying, that's even better. Sophia has a reputation for being difficult, but she obviously identifies with Connor, and the two become inseparable. After physical threats against Sophia make staying on base dangerous, she and Connor are deployed to Lebanon to identify and treat an outbreak. Things are suspicious from the moment they arrive, and things go downhill from there. They are in a race against time for the health of the refugees and Sophia's health as well. Not surprisingly, danger has followed them to the refugee camp, and both Connor and Sophia must decide just how badly they want to live.

I absolutely adored this story. Sophia was so feisty and yet so bluntly literal. The things she said, and Connor's obvious subsequent amusement had me smiling. They made a great couple. The writing flowed quickly and read very realistically. I'm sure I will be reading more in this series.

I received an ARC from Net Galley.

Beneath These Scars by Meghan March

This was my first Meghan March book even though this is book four of a series. Not having read the first books wasn't a problem for me at all. I quickly picked up that Lucas was the bad guy. He was temperamental, stubborn, crude, and manipulative. He was also interested in Yve Santos. Yve was once married to a wealthy man just like Lucas, and she is not interested in getting into another one despite Lucas pursuing her. Honestly, Lucas really is a jerk with a nasty mouth at first glance, but on a deeper level, he is driven by hurts from his past and will do anything to protect his heart. He usually keeps his distance, but Yve challenges him and refuses to back down in the face of his blatant come ons. Gradually, the two begin to break down each other's walls. When Yve becomes the focus of dangerous occurrences, Lucas is determined to protect her as well as get her in his bed.

The more Lucas works to get closer to Yve, the more I liked him. I got totally into the story and didn't want to put it down for anything! The characters were great, so I definitely will be needing to check out the first few books in this series.

I received a copy for review from Net Galley.

Best Laid Plans by Allison Brennan

Lucy and Sean have to be one of my favorite book couples ever. More than any couple I remember reading, they are two halves of a broken whole. I honestly don't know how either would survive without the other. I am so invested in this couple that I have trouble putting the books down. I'm sure part of the reason I'm so invested is because I've read all the books related to this series, the ones about Sean and Lucy's siblings that portray all that Lucy goes through and all which makes her who she becomes-a walking shell of her former self. Sean breathes life into Lucy's world and brings her out of her darkness. They are completely perfect together despite their mutual feelings of unworthiness.

This story finds Lucy with a new partner working on a case which may be tied to fall out from the events in the previous novel. Sean ends up getting hired to consult on the case but from a civilian rather than law enforcement angle. As always, Sean and Lucy work best by bouncing ideas of each other, but each ends up keeping a few secrets of their own. As they get deeper and deeper into the case, secrets from Lucy's past threaten her hard won stability and may send Sean over the edge.

I thought this was the best of the series yet. Though some resolution was achieved, many threads of the plot remain unraveled. Fortunately, I didn't care because the ending was fantastic!

Target Engaged by M. L. Buchman

M.L. Buchman is one of my favorite military romantic suspense authors. I've read almost all of his Night Stalkers series, and love that his characters are so well rounded and fleshed out. They are realistically flawed but fiercely strong when it's required. The military aspects read amazingly true to reality. This particular novel is the beginning of a new series called Delta Force. If you've read the Night Stalkers novels, you will recognize some familiar characters in this story and will quickly realize that Delta Force is the infamous "D Boys" featured in the other stories.

This story takes the reader through the process of elimination prospects face in order to be allowed to train for Delta Force. Carla is the first woman to ever be allowed to go through the process. Kyle is the obvious front runner in the elimination, and Carla makes him her target from the beginning. She is determined to keep up with him in every area if she can't just beat him outright. Kyle is competitive but good natured. He roots for Carla secretly and is thrilled when the two of them have the opportunity to train and work together...among other things they finally get to do together *wink wink*.

The couple is all out, all in, out of control passion from the start. The fact that they work seamlessly together as well gives their team the ultimate confidence. Their first mission comes right on the heels of competing their training and ends up testing them to their limits. The mission is risky, but for Carla, risking love may be even harder.

I totally loved the story and the characters. I hope the next book sticks with this team and brings Chad and Tanya back together for some more sparks. I can't wait!

I received an ARC from Net Galley for review.

Intimate Fear by D.C. Stone

This was my first experience with this author. As I started reading, I discovered this was book two in a series. Despite not having read book one, I had no difficulties keeping up with this story. It focused on the long standing relationship between Dwayne and Brooke. Friends for forever, Dwayne stepped in when Brooke's husband left her and her daughter. He has practically raised Brooke's seventeen year old daughter and considers Hailey and Brooke his even though he and Brooke have never been more than friends, and he has been with plenty of other women. Just as the two begin having thoughts of more than friendship, Hailey is kidnapped into a possible sex trafficking ring. It will take police detective, Dwayne, and all of his law enforcement brothers to find a way to save her. Brooke refuses to be left out of the search, and the constant close proximity between her and Dwayne causes their chemistry to build even while it begins to tear them apart. This begins on an intensely emotional back and forth which takes their relationship to new heights but then drops it to the depths of new lows all while the search for Hailey goes from days to weeks.

I enjoyed the characters in this story, especially Dwayne's brothers. The emotions were intense with the suspense surrounding Hailey's abduction. Though the subject matter of sex trafficking is very disturbing, the details were very minimal and not written gratuitously at all.

I received an ARC from Net Galley for review.