Down Among the Dead Men by Claire Baxter

As with most of the books I've been reading lately, this was a new author to me. The story was set in Australia which was interesting to me. I've read several books by Australian authors, and I always enjoy the unique phrases and the descriptions of the landscape and way of life in that country. The opal mines featured in this story were definitely not familiar at all to anything I've seen here in the US.

The story begins with Caitlyn leaving home to search for her long absent father. She ends up stranded in his small isolated home town and waylaid by several surprises. As the full extent of her father's criminal and negligent activities come to light in his absence, the danger to Caitlyn begins.

Dale is an almost single father who has left his career as a lawyer to hide out in the small town and work as an opal cutter. He and Caitlyn meet, and he offers his help in locating her father. The attraction between the couple is not immediate but rather develops over time. They tend to take one step forward then one step backwards, leaving their relationship in limbo. Dale seems to act impulsively romantic after dangerous situations but later regret it.

This was a sweet little romantic mystery with a touch of suspense. It was also very clean with only a few chaste kisses, a nice afternoon read.

Thanks go out to Net Galley for providing me with a copy of this book for fair review.

The Hexed by Heather Graham

Okay, so I looked this author up when I finished the book since I was unfamiliar with her work. I found 12 previous books in this particular series. I was actually surprised because this book did not give me the feeling of being lost in a series where I needed tons of prior knowledge. I appreciated that fact.

I knew going into this story that it would have some paranormal aspects, but I wasn't sure how they would play out. Turns out it is based around a covert FBI group called the Krewe of Hunters ( named after New Orleans parade krewes). The Krewe is made up of people with various paranormal abilities which they use to solve crimes. In this case, the crime is a murder with a matching case over a decade old. The murders seem to be linked to the Salem witch trials and our two main characters.

Our hero, Rocky, and heroine, Devin, meet accidentally over the third dead body. Devin's knowledge of the town history and her newly discovered paranormal abilities end up pulling her into the case. The two of them work with other members of the krewe and local police to track down the killer. They are obviously attracted to each other, but are fairly slow acting on it. Rocky tends to be cautious and protective. Devin is very loyal, persistent, and optimistic. They make a good team and receive the approval of Devin's ghostly aunt who plays a big part in the story.

If you like police/FBI procedural type novels, you will likely enjoy this book. It gives a lot of details regarding the leg work the police and krewe go through while hunting the killer. Ghostly Auntie Mina is a nice addition, as are the other ghosts who help out during the investigation. The plot was interesting and kept me guessing until the last moment. There were so many possible suspects. I kept bouncing back and forth between who I thought was the most likely culprit only to find myself completely fooled. That doesn't happen often, but I enjoy it when it does. I liked the characters and the premise of the book and enjoyed my fictional time spent in Salem.

Maverick Sheriff by Delores Fossen

Maverick Sheriff will not be released until August nineteenth, but thanks to Net Galley, I was able to read an advance copy. I was unfamiliar with this author and excited about trying the book. It is the start of a new series, and judging by the the characters in this book, it is shaping up to be a good one.

The focal characters in this story are Cooper, Jessa, and Liam. Cooper is the sheriff, Jessa is the ADA and Liam is her adopted two year old son.  Jessa and Cooper have an antagonistic relationship because Jessa is bringing charges against Cooper's estranged mother for a long ago murder. When Jessa's son is injured and in need of a rare blood type for transfusion, Cooper is the only nearby match who can donate in time.  When Cooper learns Liam is adopted and looks similar to his infant son whom he believed drowned years before, he becomes suspicious and begins trying to prove a connection. This prompts Jessa to begin researching Liam's adoption. The initiation of these investigations stirs up tons of trouble.

Jessa and Cooper remain at odds with each other but occasionally end up spontaneously giving in to the attraction between them. Neither is willing to trust the other. As the investigations continue, danger begins to escalate. The suspects are many, and motives are plentiful. Cooper and his family unite with Jessa to keep Liam safe. Unfortunately, things don't work out like they planned, but Cooper and Jessa do discover deeper feelings for each other.

In the end, they both give everything to save Liam and give themselves a chance at being a family.

I really enjoyed the book and liked the characters, especially Cooper's brothers who will hopefully get stories of their own.

Sweet Burn by Anne Marsh

I have to say I really loved this book. Anne Marsh was a new author to me. This was not the first book in this series, but when Net Galley offered me a copy to review, I decided to try it anyway. I'm really glad I did. Even though there were obviously some recurring characters from previous books, I had no trouble getting right into this story.

Right from the beginning it was obvious Mimi saw herself as the town's good time bad girl and made sure everyone knew she lived up to the reputation. Mack is the classic good guy. He is former military and currently a smoke jumper. When Mack's teammate who happens to be Mimi's former lover gets married, Mack and Mimi hook up for an agreed upon one night stand. That one night stand ends up completely complicating things in Mimi's good time no commitments world. Mack is head over heels immediately and sets out to pursue his own personal party girl.

Mimi has lived a hard life and uses her persona to cover up hurts from the past and protect herself from allowing hurts in the future. She can't risk letting Mack get too her. In the meantime, a problem from Mimi's past arrives in town just as the fire season heats up. Mimi and Mack end up having to face several dangers from both situations and find themselves pulled closer and closer to each other.  Super sexy Mack never gives up and never accepts no for an answer.

I ended up loving the town and the secondary characters. I totally feel the need to go back and check out the previous books to get their stories.

Her Last Whisper by Karen Robards

Having never read this author before, I was unsure what to expect...especially since the story involved a ghost. While I do read some paranormal fiction, I usually avoid ghost stories. I won't be avoiding ghost stories any longer. Even though this book is the third in this series, and I haven't read the other two, I was totally sucked in from the very first page!  I didn't feel lost and was easily able to get up to speed on the storyline and characters.

About that ghost, Michael was unbelievably sexy and one of the most appealing heroes I've read in a long time. He had that alpha personality but with a great sarcastic sense of humor. I loved the passion and connection between Michael and Charlie. Charlie was totally in love with him, but she fought it throughout the book until the end. Tony was also a great leading man. He was in charge but always kind and dependable. He would not be a bad choice for Charlie if she weren't so in love with a ghost.

This story had plenty of suspense and creepy occurrences as the team races to save their teammate's sister. The secondary characters were interesting and likable.The plot was very believable in a paranormal sort of way. I totally loved it and stayed up late to finish it the same day I started it. I will absolutely be reading more of this series, especially after that sneaky ending which left me dying for another.

You should absolutely check out this series. I received an advance copy of this book from Net Galley, so since it doesn't release until August, you have time to get caught up and ready for this installment.

When Day Breaks by Maya Banks

I'm giving this book four stars because I love this series so much, however, I considered three stars. I was really looking forward to Swanny's story, but this one disappointed me. While I liked Eden, she was just a bit too perfect for real life. The story was just too mushy lovey dovey for me. The suspense was lacking a bit, just quick accounts with very little detail or depth. I found myself wanting to skim through the repetitive back and forth I'm not good enough for you, no, I'm not good enough for you, you're so beautiful, no, you're so beautiful gushing. There was also a lot a repetitive information regarding how the KGI family took Swanny in. I get that each book needs a bit of a recap for readers new to the series, but recap once then leave it alone.

I read this series because I love suspense, and thus far, the series has been all I could ever ask for. I just wanted more from this book. I wanted a well developed villain rather than some weird amateur who shows up out of the blue at the end. I wanted some conflict besides all the constant insecurities over appearances. I wanted less sex and more plot.

I won't say don't buy this book, because this is a series after all, and you don't want to get behind. There are so many other great characters in these books just waiting for their own story. One of the most redeeming qualities of this book for me was getting to know more about Sky and Edge. Sky was amazing in this story, and I loved her. Hancock also pops back up in his usual not quite good not quite bad way and brings a little excitement. Obviously, you will have to make your own opinions about this book, but as for me...awesome series, but absolutely least favorite book.

Extreme Exposure by Pamela Clare

Since this was my first experience with this author, I really wasn't sure what to expect. The blurb on Amazon listed it as an I-Team novel. The I-Team turned out to be the investigative team at a major newspaper. I can't say I've read many stories set in a newspaper atmosphere except the Avery Shaw series which revolves around a small town newspaper.

Starting out, I wasn't sure I would like the story. The sample I downloaded was full of crude sexual conversations which made me fear the book was simply erotica masquerading as suspense, which is totally not up my alley. I had been searching for something interesting to read for a while and decided I was tired of looking and ready to be reading, so I downloaded the book and have it a try. While it did end up having fairly frequent sex scenes and slightly crude sexual language, I wouldn't term it erotica. It did have a very good plot which kept my interest.

Kara is a reporter who will do anything for her story. Reece is actually an honest senator ( remember, this is fiction, and honest politicians can exist in make believe).  These two dance around each other for a while with Reece becoming immediately serious and Kara holding herself back in all ways but physically. As the investigation into a cement company polluting the environment takes as turn toward dangerous, Reece tries to conduct his own investigation and ends up causing himself a lot of trouble. In the end, the passion burns very hot, the danger and suspense were very believable, and Kara and Reece end up saving each other and blowing the investigation wide open.

There were a few peripheral characters who were interesting, such as Kara's new age loving mom and her adorable son. Kara also had several friends in the news room who I'm guessing will show up in future novels. While this was a little more sex than I wanted and was certainly not what I would consider a favorite, it was well written and a good solid suspense.