Shattered Fear by Tara Thomas

I'm going to go 3.75 stars on this one. The jury is still out, but I'm definitely about to start the next book and see where this goes. On the down side, this one reads very new author-ish. The heroine cries a lot for a tough cop, and she really didn't have many reservations about getting involved with a suspect. Her character is a bit inconsistent for me so far. On the up side, I really like Brent even though he was much quicker to forgive than I would have expected. I also felt like the villains were way up there on the creepy scale, and the intimate scenes were pretty steamy. Since this is a continuing series, it ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, but not to worry, the books are being released close together so the wait time is minimal. I'm going to hold on judgement until I finish book two.

Net Galley provided an ARC.

Ace of Spades by Sandra Owens

Finally Nate, the oldest Gentry brother, gets his own story. He has pretty much been in love with his FBI partner, Taylor, for a while though he would never admit it to himself or anyone else. His brothers have met their mates, but Nate had committed to himself to never put himself in the position to risk turning into the type of abuser his father was. Taylor knows he cares about her but knows it's not as much as she cares about him. She wants more but worries about the implications as far as work. All that falls to the backburner when a serial killer seems to be targeting women who look like Taylor. Nate knows she can take care of herself, but he plans to make sure she doesn't have to. Taylor loves the extra attention from Nate, but she doesn't like feeling like she is being handled or coddled. While she is happy he cares, she plans to fight her own battles and take down the killer herself.

I enjoyed catching back up with Alex and Court and their wives then seeing Nate finally learn how to be happy and trust himself. It was a great story with plenty of sexy moments.

Net Galley provided an ARC.

Poison Kisses by Lisa Renee Jones

If you read the completely awesome Dirty Money series, you are already familiar with the amazingly sexy Seth. This is his story, and I couldn't be more excited! Stoic Seth who never reveals anything personal finally gets his own story. This started off quick and never slacked off. It was non-stop action, scorching chemistry, and emotions on steroids. The angry sexy sparks coming off of Seth and Amanda should have burned the book to a crisp. They are in love-hate with each other and have been for a while despite a long absence. Fortunately they have a job to do which prevents them from killing each other...for now. This is a serial, so obviously it ends on a cliffhanger, but nothing too terrible. I'm so ready for the rest of this story!
Net Galley provided an ARC.

The Bastard's Bargain by Katee Robert

Oh! My! Gosh! This was the best book of the series, and that's saying a lot since this series completely owns me! Dmitri, Wow, just wow! He was so unbelievably sexy, and so completely unaware that he was halfway in love with Kiera before he ever convinced her to choose him. He wasn't a good guy at all, but he certainly treated Keira like his queen. He was every bit her "gentleman murderer" ( so loved that nickname, by the way). This story was crazy hot, super intense, and far exceeded my already high expectations. I'm so sad there are no more O'Malleys left!

Ruled by Anne Marsh

I admit to not being a big fan of MC stories, but I really liked the description, so I gave it a try. Thankfully this was not like some other MC books I've read where it's all about the clubhouse and the politics and what happens there and how the women are demeaned. Obviously it had some club talk and business, but it was primarily about the relationship between Rev and Eve. I loved them together. The story was extremely sexy and had tons of very steamy moments mixed in with the tension between Rev and Eve's brother. I would have liked to see more development of the characters other than Eve and Rev, but overall, I really enjoyed it and will be putting Vik's story in my wish list.

Breaking Point by Allison Brennan

As I say every time I review a Lucy Kincaid novel, Lucy and Sean are absolutely one of my favorite book couples ever. Even though this story had less of their relationship and more action, I just love their connection. I've read all of the Rogan and Kincaid books, and I highly recommend reading all of them in order so that you get the full understanding of all the complicated relationships and can fully appreciate all the amazing characters Allison Brennan has created. This was a fantastic story not for the faint hearted. It centers around sex trafficking, and while realistic, it was definitely not gratuitous. It gave Lucy a chance to rescue others just like she had been rescued. The story had plenty of action and complicated issues along with a huge dose of my favorite Rogans and Kincaids. I loved it and can't wait for more Lucy!

Rules of Engagement by Lily White

This was my first book by Lily White. I admit that I'm sometimes hesitant to try authors I'm not familiar with, but I was really drawn to the cover, and the description was completely intriguing. I couldn't resist, so I requested an ARC from Net Galley. As I started reading, my first reaction was that this book was going to be way more darkly erotic than I was used to, even though I tend to prefer my suspense pretty dark. I almost didn't keep reading, but I'm so glad I did. Turns out it was nowhere near erotica, but it was seriously sexy and twistedly dark. I though for sure I had it figured out a few times, and I definitely had the bad guy narrowed down to two choices. Even though I was pretty sure till the end that I knew which of the two it was, I ended up being wrong and loving that the story was so unpredictable. I would have liked more of a dramatic face to face confrontation at the end, but regardless, I absolutely loved this!