Happy book birthdays!

Since the majority of my reviews deal with books not yet released, I decided it might be helpful if you had release day reminders for those books. To that end, I say Happy Book Birthday to Into the Fury by Kat Martin, Nemesis by Stefanie Ross, and Ravaged River by Lindsay Cross. These were all released this week and are well worth checking out. :-)

Ravaged River by Lindsay Cross

Oh my gosh! Holy cow! This story blew me away. I love love love this series, and I have been dying to get Hoyt's story. He has been awesome from the start, but I couldn't believe what he ended up going through. It changed him so much, but it didn't change his love for Hayden. His willingness to do whatever is necessary to keep her safe is the backbone of this story. Hoyt is changed. He is not the same man and never will be again.  Hayden doesn't care. He stood by her through the worst crisis of her life, and she trusts him more than he trusts himself.  She also still wants him, hard edges and all.

When terrorists are discovered embedded near their hometown and very close to Hayden, Hoyt isn't leaving her safety to anyone else. Hayden has her own ideas about her safety and some conflicts with the direction of the investigation. She determines to find some answers on her own and is as determined to dig as Hoyt is determined to keep her far away from everything. In the end, he will have to not only trust Hayden but also find a way to trust himself in order to save her.

This was the best book in this series yet, and that's saying a lot since I love them all. I hope wee keep getting more Men of Mercy for a long time to come!

I received an ARC from the author for review.

Dark Hearts by Sharon Sala

This is book three in the Secrets and Lies series. Since there is an underlying theme throughout the stories, I absolutely do not recommend reading this as a standalone. Since book one, we've read about the elusive Sam Jakes. In this book, he finally comes home. Unfortunately, his homecoming is marked by tragedy. His mother is dead, and he intends to do everything in his power to track down the man who killed not only his mom but also two others. It is just his luck that Lainey Pickett, the girl he sacrificed years ago in an effort to save her from his damaged mind, is the one person in town with any answers. Sam isn't the same man he was when he left Lainey, but Lainey is not the same woman he remembers either. Both have been blasted by life and deserted to live with their scars, some visible, some not. They are both used to being alone, but Sam begins to see Lainey as a much desired second chance. He risks showing her his flaws only find himself challenged by hers.

This was a very different type of love story, and I enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed the final unveiling of the killer I've been guessing at since book one. The numerous possible suspects to kept the suspense drawn out until the end. I was happy to finally have all the mysterious threads tied up.

I received an ARC from Net Galley for review.

Kidnapped by the Billionaire by Jackie Ashenden

This story is book four in the author's Nine Circles series. I read book three without having read the first two and got hooked in. This story was even better. Violet is the daughter of a very bad man only she doesn't know it. She realizes he very different, but doesn't suspect his full capabilities. Elijah, on the other hand, is intimately acquainted with all her father's dealings. When Violet's father is killed and Elijah's revenge thwarted, Elijah decides to take Violet as bait to lure an even bigger spider into his web of vengeance. He has no concern for her welfare. She is simply a means to an end. Violet, however, has no intention of being some meek compliant lure. She challenges her captor at every turn. If Elijah had feelings, he might have even been impressed by her.

As she slowly worms her way under his defenses, Elijah finds himself weighing the importance of obtaining his revenge against Violet's safety. Violet discovers Elijah's secrets and though conflicted by her building feelings for him, she begins to understand the importance of his quest. Their feeling for each other may just end up having each of them doing just the opposite of what they originally planned.

This story was deep and intensely emotional. Elijah was no good guy, but he came through when it counted. I enjoy the characters in this series and the dark undertones.

I received an ARC from Net Galley for review.

Healing Love by Abby Niles

This was my first experience with this author, but it won't be the last. I've read and enjoyed several stories set in the MMA world, some good, some not so much. This one was definitely a keeper. The characters were so realistic and also flawed. Lance didn't have a glamorous job or a prestigious past, but he was trying to work his way out of the hole he had dug for himself. In the meantime, he allowed himself to be convinced to start training fighters at his friend's gym. Ella ends up being one of his first clients, only he has no idea who she really is or even her real name.

Ella has been training for years, but it is finally time for her to overcome her most persistent fear. Lance is her ticket to accomplishing this task before her past catches up to her. Unfortunately, his past catches up to her first, and the two of them have to figure out a way to stay safe while settling old debts.

This was a tense story with lots of emotional ups and downs and believable characters. It also had a great ending.

I received an ARC from Net Galley for review.

Colton's Surprise Heir by Addison Fox

I have enjoyed reading several of the Colton books, especially The Colton's of Oklahoma series. When I spotted this Colton's of Texas series story, I really wanted to check it out. Happily, it had the same great sense of family and wonderful characters I've come to expect in the Colton books.

Ethan's father is a convicted killer. He was the one to discover his mother's murdered body as a small child and to give the testimony which convicted his father. The experience scarred him and left him unwilling to ever pass on his genetics through a family of his own. Unfortunately for him, a once long time friend and recent former fling, Lizzie, shows up pregnant with his child. Not only is she pregnant, she is also being stalked. Though he never wanted to be a father, there is no way he is going to let anyone harm his child. Lizzie trusts Ethan to protect her, but can't trust him with her heart. She has always wanted a forever with him, but forever may not be in Ethan's vocabulary.

This story had plenty of suspense and a fast moving plot. I loved Ethan's big family and the connection to the Oklahoma Colton's series.

I received an ARC from Net Galley for review.

Tattooed as Trouble by J. L. Hammer

This story is centered around Rae Storm. She is the daughter of commune living anti government parents whose lifestyle caused the death of a government agent and effectively made Rae the target of public hatred. Are does the best she can to avoid attention, but when she witnesses a murder, she has no choice but to testify. Unfortunately, even the marshals protecting her are biased against her, and she is pretty much left to deal with her experiences on her own. Bronson, one of the marshals, is attracted to her but due to his past experiences, he plans to steer clear of her. He breaks his promise to himself when Rae cracks under the strain. He tries to comfort her but crosses a line. Rae doesn't care because she has been attracted to him from the start. Bronson, on the other hand, is determined to put some distance between them. This begins his back and forth swing of advances toward Rae followed by swift retreats. He honestly made me furious at times. Rae was open about her feelings, which allowed her to be hurt. Between Bronson's wishy washy affections and two sets of people trying to kill her, she really handled things admirably well.  She was a very likable character.

The story moved along at a quick pace and had both danger and emotional suspense. It was a nice easy read.

I received an ARC from Net Galley for review.