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Before I Let You Go by Kellie Wallace – Review by Tara Johnson Barnes

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Before I Let You GoBefore I Let You Go by Kellie Wallace
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Before I Let You Go is a contemporary romance with danger, drama, mystery, suspense, intrigue, secrets, and paranormal elements. The story centers around the MC Elsbeth whose life seems to be falling apart with one bad thing after another happening to her. When she inherits a house on a remote island from an estranged aunt Elsbeth seizes the opportunity to have a fresh start. This, however, does not come easy as she is wracked with guilt about leaving behind her ailing father and how she ended things with her boyfriend. When strange things start happening at the island home it leads Elsbeth to Bishop, who claims to be an angel, and a mystery that needs to be solved before time runs out. As secrets are revealed she uncovers the house’s dark history. I was gripped by the storyline and the earthbound spirit that needed Elsbeth’s help. This was a well written story with great characters and a unique storyline that kept my attention until the final pages.

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Under My Care (Chase Care Book 3) by R.L. Dunn – Review by Tara Johnson Barnes

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Under My Care (Chase Care Book 3)Under My Care by R.L. Dunn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Under my Care is the third book in the Chase Care Series. It follows the story of Peter Walter the Clinical Facility Director for Chase Care. This role is a bit different from past ones where he has been a physician assistant and a pararescue jumper for the Air Force, but it is far from keeping him out of danger. The book starts with a bang as Pete is on a mission to save a mother and daughter who have been kidnapped.

The mother is unable to be saved by the time Pete and his team arrive and only the young daughter, Linde is left behind. The building is on fire, so they rush to rescue her from the burning building, but Linde and Pete are now in need of urgent medical care. The team is forced to land their helicopter at the nearest hospital after a blizzard hits the area. The ER is busy as other local residents have sought shelter from the blizzard and need urgent medical care. One patient in need of urgent care just happens to be the young daughter of the bad guys.

When Pete arrives at the hospital, he comes face to face with the beautiful woman he has never forgotten. He has not seen her since an unforgettable mission in Afghanistan. A mission that left them both hurt and left their lives in turmoil. Dr. Rowena Anderson has moved herself and her two sons back to her family’s ranch in Montana to keep them safe. She is now working as an Emergency Room Doctor at Guardian Hospital. When Dr. Rowena sees Pete again, she realizes that secrets are hard to keep buried. Her and Pete must work together to decide what their future will be. Will they be able to survive the chaos and pursue the chemistry between them?

This book will grab your attention and suck you into the storyline from the beginning. It is fast paced with so much going on at once that it is almost impossible to catch your breath. The characters of Rowena and Pete were relatable, and you could feel the chemistry between them. It was interesting to see how their story would unfold. Both were strong, independent, and unafraid to look danger in the eye. This book had it all from the heart racing, nail biting action, suspense, danger, and intrigue to the romance, love, passion, and chemistry between characters. I am anxious to read book four in this series.

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The Silent Road by S.N. McKibben – Review by Tara Johnson Barnes

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The Silent RoadThe Silent Road by S.N. McKibben
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Dan is a man who seems to screw up everything he touches. He spent so much time away from home trying to make money to support his wife and daughter that it caused his marriage to collapse. Not only did his marriage fail but his ex-wife thinks he is a deadbeat. He has failed to follow through with past promises to his daughter, so she has lost all faith in him. The only thing Dan has left is his rig and driving on the open road hauling freight. Or it was, up until the day he was pulled over and was caught driving without a license.

Getting caught driving without a license could not have happened at a worse time for Dan. He needs the money to pay for his daughter’s college tuition. If Dan cannot come up with the money, he risks losing his daughter forever. Dan is forced on probation and must have a co-driver with him in order to prove that he is capable of getting his commercial license. The problem is that Dan does not want to have Jake as his co-driver. He knows Jake’s dirty little secret, and he wants no part of it. Unfortunately, Dan’s boss gives him no choice and Dan must make the best of it as he tries to convince Jake to bend the rules a little bit so that he can make good on the promise he made to his daughter.

As Dan and Jake head out on the open road they get to know one another better. Dan finds that he enjoys Jake’s company a little more than he expected. In all honesty, a lot more than he expected, and it scares him as he finds himself questioning his own sexuality. Could Jake be what he has been looking for, what has been missing from his life, all this time?

This was an interesting MM romance with a big rig, hitting the open road, feel to it. As Dan and Jake hit the open road together it becomes a symbol of their freedom from the constraints of society’s beliefs, judgement, and condemnation. On the road they do not fear what others may think and are allowed the freedom to get to know one another in an open and honest manner. The characters of Jake and Dan are clearly more layered than this story allowed as it was more focused on the relationship between the two men. The author asked for feedback at the end of the book on whether readers would like to read more about Dan and Jake. This reader says, yes, I would love to read a book on each one where the story focuses solely on them, their background, past relationships, and so forth.

I personally, would read a book about Dan which goes back to his marriage to his ex-wife. What was their relationship like? In The Silent Road we know his marriage collapsed because he worked away from home so much. Were there other contributing factors that caused his marriage to fail? Was their relationship rocky to begin with? Did Dan display any signs that might explain his interest in Jake? Was he not attracted to his wife? Was there an underlying reason that kept him on the road and away from his family? A reason that he may not have realized at that time. I would love to know more about Jake as well. Was he always attracted to men? In The Silent Road we see signs of society’s disapproval over his lifestyle. Was there ever a time in his life where he felt the need to conform to society’s beliefs about who he is and hide his sexuality? Was he ever married? If so, does he have children? All in all, this was a good book and I enjoyed it. It left me wanting to learn more about the pasts of both Dan and Jake and I want to read more.

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