Devil and the Deep by Julie Ann Walker

Devil and the Deep by Julie Ann Walker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**I received an ebook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**
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STEAMY! That's my one-word summarization! This book is chock full of action, romance, and sex - innuendos, foreplay, and fantasies - both stated and acted. I had a hard time putting the book down. ;)

Bran is a dark and brooding male protagonist with a past that runs deeper then his SEAL training. Maddy is a stubborn, outspoken, wealthy female protagonist who doesn't let go when she sees something she wants. Their personalities have them on a crash course that started when Bran helped rescue for from kidnappers, and has continued via email and calls since.

Bran doesn't feel he is good enough for Maddy, and Maddy has been unsure of his feelings because he keeps running hot and cold. Circumstances have pushed them together as another kidnapping attempt happens, and now they have to figure out what is what.

Loved the story. It was a quick read, and a good one. I look forward to reading more of this series.

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Oklahoma Moonshine by Maggie Shayne

Oklahoma Moonshine by Maggie Shayne
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Maggie's on a roll! This take-off from the Brand series hits all the high points of any romance she's written. There are secrets, history, pain, joy, and love in abundance!

Kiley is desperate; her sister is dead, her father's in jail, her family home is up for auction, and she wants more than anything to go straight. Up 'til now life has been a journey of attempts and failures at being "normal". Raised in a con-artist family she has never truly fit in, but now she needs to complete one last con to get everything she's ever wanted.

Robert is distrustful of women because of his father's money, and can smell a lie a mile away. That doesn't stop him from wanting to help Kiley - even when she won't tell him the truth. There's just something about her that tugs at his heart strings.

Robert's family accepts Kiley as she is because he's asked them to... and because that's who they are. From nothing to everything - can Kiley accept the future and be brave enough to grab for it?

I love Maggie's down-to-earth storytelling. This was a fairly quick read for me which helps as I sometimes get caught up in one book for weeks and need a smaller read to lighten the load - so to speak. You won't regret picking up the newest installment in this family's saga!

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Paper and Fire by Rachel Caine

Paper and Fire by Rachel Caine
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**I received an e-book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**
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Have you ever wondered what the world would be like if books were our religion? Enter this highly imaginative world to find out!

SYNOPSIS
With an iron fist, The Great Library controls the knowledge of the world, ruthlessly stamping out all rebellion, forbidding the personal ownership of books in the name of the greater good.

Jess Brightwell has survived his introduction to the sinister, seductive world of the Library, but serving in its army is nothing like he envisioned. His life and the lives of those he cares for have been altered forever. His best friend is lost, and Morgan, the girl he loves, is locked away in the Iron Tower and doomed to a life apart.

Embarking on a mission to save one of their own, Jess and his band of allies make one wrong move and suddenly find themselves hunted by the Library’s deadly automata and forced to flee Alexandria, all the way to London.

But Jess’s home isn’t safe anymore. The Welsh army is coming, London is burning, and soon, Jess must choose between his friends, his family, or the Library willing to sacrifice anything and anyone in the search for ultimate control. . .  

REVIEW
Let me start with the disclaimer - I have not managed to find time in my schedule yet to read Ink and Bone. As such, I didn't have the backstory going into this tale. I was still able to understand the action and enjoy the book.

The story took me a little longer to read than normal due to its weighty nature, and several other books that came due at the same time. Most of the stories I read have less intent behind them for lack of a better word. This is more of a mantle on your shoulders than a shawl if that analogy helps at all.

The Great Library - and most prominently - The Archivist - control the world in a system similar in many ways to how Catholicism with the Cardinals and Pope controlled our world at one point in our history. The setting for this world is in a near future and yet parallel universe. Magic is real, but only the Obsucrists can wield it. Steampunk is the norm with animatronics everywhere.

Jess and his friends are in the final stages of becoming High Garda - the elite army of the Great Library - when they stumble upon some disturbing truths. Chief among those truths is the fact that their friends Thomas is not actually dead. They must face options that may get them all killed in order to try to find a better way for the world.

This is a series I thought my daughter, an avid reader - even more so than me as she has more time on her hands, would enjoy. I still think she may enjoy it, but this series is a little heavier reading than she normally likes to do.

Overall it was an interesting read, and I do plan to read the other two books in the series at some point.

Blood of the Earth by Faith Hunter - Review and Giveaway!

It's happening again!  I have been given the awesome opportunity to not only review a terrific book by an author I love, but I also host a giveaway for one paperback copy to one lucky follower!  (US/Canada only.) And, isn't that cover gorgeous?!

SYNOPSIS:
Set in the same world as the New York Times bestselling Jane Yellowrock novels, an all-new series starring Nell Ingram, who wields powers as old as the earth.

When Nell Ingram met skinwalker Jane Yellowrock, she was almost alone in the world, exiled by both choice and fear from the cult she was raised in, defending herself with the magic she drew from her deep connection to the forest that surrounds her.

Now, Jane has referred Nell to PsyLED, a Homeland Security agency policing paranormals, and agent Rick LaFleur has shown up at Nell’s doorstep. His appearance forces her out of her isolated life into an investigation that leads to the vampire Blood Master of Nashville.

Nell has a team—and a mission. But to find the Master’s kidnapped vassal, Nell and the PsyLED team will be forced to go deep into the heart of the very cult Nell fears, infiltrating the cult and a humans-only terrorist group before time runs out.

Faith Hunter is the New York Times bestselling author of the Jane Yellowrock series and the Rogue Mage series

MY REVIEW 
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
**I received an e-book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**
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Hungry for a new heroine of epic proportions? Nell will fit the bill.

Much like Jane, Nell is a strong woman - physically and mentally. Nell has been forged due to life's circumstances to be strong, self-reliant, and suspicious. She is also naturally very intelligent and intuitive, and her magical nature helps that intuition along as well. All these characteristics help her stand alone - and make it extremely hard to accept outsiders into her life.

Since helping Jane to rescue a Master from the Church, the men of the Church have made her singular life even more difficult than it was prior. They have killed her dogs - slaughtered them and left them on her porch in warning, sporadically come onto her land to harass her into rejoining the Church, and set watches over her and her land from a deer stand on a neighboring property. She also has to sneak conversations with the women from her family during the farmer's markets because venturing onto Church property to try to visit family could trap her.

But now, PsyLED has come to ask for her help with another paranormal matter.

With her powers growing in strange and somewhat frightening ways can she afford to help them? Can she afford NOT to help? Things are much more complicated than they first appear...

Like her writing for the Skinwalker series, Faith's writing is detailed, imaginative, and quick-paced. I love the vernacular used for the "Church-speak" in this book, and can't wait to hear how the voice talent treats Nell in the audio book version of this. I had trouble putting this book down - so it's a good thing I managed to catch a weekend with no work!

GIVEAWAY
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Unwanted Blog Tour! (Unwanted by Jennifer Estep)

I am SOOOO excited today!  I'm hosting my first ever blog tour stop, and it's for Jennifer Estep!  For those of you who aren't familiar with her work - why ever not?!  I haven't yet found a book she's written that I didn't like.  Her Bigtime series for adults is on my TBR pile.  My daughter has devoured her Mythos Academy series and Black Blade series (which I also got to read part of), and my all-time favorite is her Elemental Assassin series - I MAKE time to read anything Gin!  So let's get started!

UNWANTED

The New York Times bestselling Elemental Assassin series continues with a new e-novella--from the point of view of Finnegan Lane, the foster brother of Gin Blanco, and a fan favorite of readers of the series.

The fallout from his disastrous “family reunion” in Bitter Bite has left Finn feeling hurt, angry, and depressed. He can barely stand to look at himself in the mirror, much less eat any of the delicious barbecue from Gin’s famed Pork Pit restaurant.

But when the funeral for a slain security guard at his bank turns into a showdown with some nasty underworld giants, Finn knows that he must act in order to protect an innocent family.

Finnegan Lane might be the most unwanted man in Ashland these days, but he’s determined to try to make amends for his past mistakes…

Purchase at Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-A-Million | Google Play | iBooks | Kobo

MY REVIEW
Long-time (and new) fans of Gin - have you ever wondered what Finn was TRULY thinking?  Here's your chance to find out!

After the (deserved) death of his mother, Finn is having trouble with self-recriminations and guilt.  He is unwanted.  His co-workers have all made it plain that they blame him for his mother's crimes and the death of so many of his co-workers.  His boss has insisted he attend every single funeral - not that he wouldn't have on his own.  New security measures are now in place at the bank - for obvious reasons - and, in general, he is having trouble moving on. 

Enter a grieving widow with a young son, and a big-time issue due to her brother-in-law.  Finn learns of her trouble and offers to help, but - like the rest of the people his work-related life - she blames him for her husband's death and refuses it.  He doesn't care, and does his planning anyway.  Finn's not an elemental, but he was raised by his father - an assassin - and has helped Gin out enough times to know what and how to plan.

You'll have to read the novella to find out the rest!  And, I suggest you do that now!

While short, (It IS a novella folks!) Unwanted packs an emotional punch like any of this series.  There is always a twist that it is hard to see coming.  Jennifer's attention to detail and imagination are a true pleasure to read no matter the length of the work.

TOUR STOPS

Don't forget to check out the rest of the Tour stops:

7/11 - Books and Things (review + giveaway)

7/12 - DianaMCKiaradB (review + Q&A)

7/14 - Rantings of a Reading Addict (review + giveaway)

7/15 - Lily Element Book Reviews (review), Urban Fantasy Investigations (giveaway)

7/17 - The Book Crumb Trail (review + giveaway), Diane’s Book Blog (Q&A)

7/18 - A Book Fanatic Obsession (review + Q&A), Bambi Unbridled (review + giveaway)

7/19 - Bookish Things & More (review + giveaway), Slippery Words (review + giveaway)

7/20 - Mary Hughes (Q&A + giveaway), The Book Nympho (review + giveaway)

7/21 - Goldilox and the Three Weres (review + giveaway), The Reading Addict (Q&A + giveaway)

7/22 - Books That Hook (review + giveaway)

GIVEAWAY!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Jennifer has a giveaway for 5 copies of BITTER BITE (5 winners!) and a $25 Amazon gift card! Open to US residents only. One winner per household. Contest ends July 25th at midnight EST. 

JENNIFER ESTEP

Jennifer Estep is a New York Times, USA Today, and international bestselling author prowling the streets of her imagination in search of her next fantasy idea.

Jennifer writes the Elemental Assassin urban fantasy series for Pocket Books. Unwanted, e-novella #14.5 in the series, will be released on July 18. Unraveled, book #15, will be released on Aug. 30.

Jennifer also writes the Mythos Academy young adult urban fantasy series. She is also the author of the Black Blade young adult urban fantasy series and the Bigtime paranormal romance series.

For more information on Jennifer and her books, visit www.jenniferestep.com or follow Jennifer on Facebook, Goodreads, and Twitter.

LIAM (The Riley Adamson Epilogues) by Shannon Mayer

LIAM by Shannon Mayer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

**I received an ebook in exchange for an honest review.**
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Honestly? My only complaint is how quick I read it! Tears were shed, but they were (mostly) good tears. Shannon has another treasure of a story on her hands!

Liam has chased after Riley for years; suspected her, hated her, commiserated with her, and loved her. Now, after the battle that could have ended the world, he needs to find peace within himself so that they can move forward together.

The triplets are sick - dying - and only Liam and Levi can save them by finding them an ogre wet nurse. As with any of Riley's adventures there is no plan other to find the wet nurse and get her back to the triplets... in under 48 hours. Oh, and did I mention in some of THE most hostile territory they've ever been in?!

Shannon's ability to draw the reader in continues in this book, but with a twist - it's Liam speaking this time - not Riley! Don't miss out on another awesome piece of Riley's world. Snag LIAM now!

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