Shift by Sidney Bristol

Tori and Emery work together as part of a covert team run primarily by the FBI. Their cover is building high performance automobiles out of a local garage with the rest of their team. Emery has been in love with Tori for a while, but rather than tell her, he does everything he can behind the scenes tho keep her safe. He is known as the Walking Brain because he is a tech  wizard. Tori is a mechanic and loves getting her hands dirty.Secretly, she likes Emery too, but she's got a crazy past that keeps her from long term commitments. Everything shifts though when Emery hears that an assassin has been hired to kill Tori and her sister. He determines he will risk anything to keep Tori safe.

This story had characters that were easy to connect to, and lots of action involving hot cars. Tori and Emery were great together, and I liked the rest of the team too. It was an exciting story with an unusual setting. This is book two in a series, but I had no trouble reading it as a standalone.

I received an ARC from Net Galley for review.

Heart Strike by M.L. Buchman

M.L. Buchman writes some seriously realistic and sexy military romantic suspense. I love how his books make me feel like I am right in the middle of a true military mission. He also does a great job of giving each new character a distinct and interesting personality. I've read many of his books, and though the settings are familiar, each new set of characters brings something new to the table. I read the first book in this series and loved tough as nails Carla. Now we have Melissa, the second female to make Delta. Carla 2.0?  No way. Melissa has a serious hate on for Carla and is shocked to find herself assigned to the same team. She and Carla butt heads in no time, but Melissa forms an immediate connection with the team's tech wizard, Richie. Richie was just an amazing character in my opinion. I loved how Melissa divided his personality into different personas in her mind. He was so  sweet and sometimes socially clueless but no less a warrior.

The story had a lot of chemistry and plenty of military style action. Melissa and Richie bond quickly, but her presence on the team is causing some fractures. They all have to find a way to work together, or a major drug refiner and distributor may get away free and clear.

No question I will keep reading this series. I'm very curious who the next book will feature.

I received an ARC from Net Galley for review.

Man of Honor by Diana Gardin

Several years ago, Drake and Mea hooked up. They had one amazing night, then Mea fled and has spent the last few years avoiding Drake like the plague. He has no idea what caused her shift in attitude and has never stopped wanting her. When his mother's death leads him down a dark road, surprisingly, it's Mea who comes to his rescue. As she begins to soften toward him, he works hard to find out what causes her to keep herself so closed off. Mea has some pretty big secrets she keeps. She believes her secrets would change everyone's opinion of her, so she suffers in silence. Though Mea begins to let Drake in physically, she sees he is struggling with his own demons. His problems make her unwilling to trust him until her situation becomes dangerous. Can he straighten up in time to help her?

This novel deals with some pretty dark issues that might be triggers for some. While description was necessary to the storyline, the author didn't glorify the issues or dwell there unnecessarily. This was my first experience with this author, but I definitely will be checking out more of her work.

I received an ARC from Net Galley for review.

Worked Up by Tessa Bailey

I really enjoy reading Tessa Bailey. I was completely addicted to her Crossing the Lines series and am working my way through the Line of Duty series. This is the first book in a new series set in New Jersey. Samantha has a job she enjoys as an illustrator of children's books. She has a dream of using her talent as an outreach, and her brother has agreed to back her...with certain conditions. When  Sam feels she has no choice but to violate one of the terms, she heads to Jersey to see her brother in person. Since he is out of town when she arrives, she decides to be a bit adventurous and take in some local color. When she finds herself in a bit of a situation in the town bar, a giant disguised as a man intervenes. Duke is a former military man now working in his hometown at the local factory. He is a fixer and a rescuer at heart. Though he tries not to, he ends up taking Sam under his wing just as he has his a four sisters and his best friend's family. Neither Sam nor Duke want a relationship, quite the opposite actually, so when a quick marriage occurs to Duke as a solution for Sam's problems, he shocks himself by proposing. The question is are they experiencing real feelings for each other or is this just another instance of Duke making a sacrifice to save someone. It takes a dangerously momentous event for them to realize the truth.

Though this wasn't as suspenseful as the Crossing the Line series, it definitely still had that total and completely  alpha hero. No one does good bad guys like  Tessa Bailey! Duke's sisters were also really interesting over the top characters. I hope one of them gets the next book.

I received an ARC from Net Galley for review.

Follow Me by Tiffany Snow

Tiffany Snow is at the absolute top of my favorite authors list.  I was over the top thrilled when Net Galley granted me a copy to review! Though I've enjoyed all her series, the Kathleen Turner series has remained the penultimate romantic suspense story of all time for me. I'm hoping China Mack will even surpass that.

China Mack is our heroine of the story. She's a super smart petite computer prodigy with a not so slight touch of OCD. Her ability to read social cues is somewhat impaired as well which leads to plenty of amusing incidents. Since Tiffany Snow is the queen of triangles, this story includes two possible male interests. Clark is the sexy brand new neighbor who is interested in China from the get go and likes to move things along pretty fast. Jackson is China's boss whom she's been infatuated with for years. He has never seemed to notice her existence before, but now he needs her for a top secret project, and he's throwing out subtle hints he might need her for something more.

When strange occurrences and mysterious deaths begin to plague China's new work project, both men have their own reasons for wanting to protect her. It's up to China to figure out which one is truly only out to help himself. Maybe they both have their own agendas. Maybe the only person she can trust is herself.

One of my favorite things about a Tiffany Snow series is how the fans chose teams based on which guy they are pulling for. It is one of the first things my book buddy and I discuss when reading Ms. Snow. We have been on opposite sides of the fence a couple of times, and I find that to be the supreme compliment to Ms. Snow's skill in creating characters that keep us all guessing until the end and being willing to fight for our guy. So far, I'm placing myself on team Jackson, but that may change as more information is revealed in future books. Write fast, Tiffany Snow!

Only Her by Sandra Owens

This book is the fifth book in one of my favorite series. Though the covers kind of gives a mushy romance impression, let me assure you, this author writes great suspense. I've enjoyed every book in the series including this one. Each book had the perfect blend of great romantic chemistry, believable characters, and tension building suspense.

In this story, Cody (Dog) moves in across the street from Riley with his two dogs after returning from a rough tour overseas. Being a vet, Riley immediately takes notice of the guitar playing loner and his pets. Their initial meeting doesn't go well, but fate keeps throwing these two together despite Cody's silent demeanor and his determination to avoid all relationships. When Riley's animal patients start dying under mysterious circumstances, Cody can't help but step up to protect her despite his misgivings. Their mutual love of animals helps them work together to find out who is targeting Riley and why.

This was a great addition to the series. As always, I enjoy getting to revisit characters from the previous books for updates on their relationships. Riley's cats and Cody's dogs added a lot of personality to the story and helped soften their bold personalities.  I'm ready for whatever comes next for this series.

I received an ARC from Net Galley for review.

Her Survivor by Vonnie Davis

This author was not familiar to me, but the description sounded promising since I enjoy reading books with military heroes/heroines. The ranch style small town setting was interesting and fun. The story was full of quirky characters who were sometimes a bit over the top but always amusing to read. Kelcee was spunky and didn't let Dustin run over her even though he was rude and temperamental with her at first. Dustin had come to the small town to try to find a place where he could learn to cope with his PTSD issues. As a former counselor, I'd say the depiction of the PTSD issues was pretty realistic. I loved how Nance, a former military dog, does so much to help bring healing.

Though Kelcee and Dustin have a rough start, once they connect, their bond is tight. Dustin begins helping Kelcee around her bookstore, and she shows him the intriguing features of the town. Kelcee isn't exactly who she seems though. She has a dangerous secret that could put both of them in danger.

Nance and Dustin's teammates were favorites of mine in the story. I'm sure I will read more of this series since they engaged my curiosity.

I received an ARC from Net Galley for review.