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8 Second Ride by Shannon Nemechek – Review by Stephanie Chapman

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8 Second Ride8 Second Ride by Shannon Nemechek
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

If you are looking for a quick read with great character development, Shannon Nemechek’s 8 Second Ride is for you. The story opens with Tuck McGraw in a panic. He is running behind for work at the Four Leaf Ranch, and dreaded the possibility of being the errand boy for Jessie Flanagan. Jessie was the snobby daughter that felt the need to flaunt her body and money to impress others. When Tuck arrives, he discovers that he made the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas. Liam decided to give a party that evening in Tuck’s honor.
Just as Tuck is feeling at the top of the world, along comes Jessie, and he has been assigned the task of taking her shopping in town. On the way to town, Tuck begins to give her a reality check of how he thought she was ugly inside. Unfortunately, on the ride back, Tuck receives a call from the PBR. His trip was completely paid for, but Jessie interrupts the call and adds herself and her best friend to the list. How will Tuck handle the sudden intrusion of Jessie with his future in the rodeo circuit? Why does she want to go?

The character development of this book is a favorite feature of mine. The back story and motivation for Tuck flow well with his actions throughout the story. I was surprised at the abrupt ending as it left me wanting to read more. This is a book for mature adults; the profanity and sexual innuendos are not appropriate for young adults. This is a book that made me feel like everyone should follow their dreams no matter how difficult they may be to achieve.

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Bound by Secrets (Deadly Isles Special Ops Series Book 2) by Amy McKinley – Review by Stephanie Chapman

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Bound by Secrets (Deadly Isles Special Ops, #2)Bound by Secrets by Amy McKinley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Amy McKinley continues her epic series with Bound By Secrets, Deadly Isle Special Ops, Book 2. Opening the story with Kayla fuming over her boyfriend’s infidelity, she confronts him with disastrous results. Roy, a superstar MMA fighter, unleashes his temper, choking Kayla to unconsciousness after saying “I own you.” When she regains consciousness, she flees the home, taking a flash drive that she suspects holds information that could hurt Roy. After a week passes, Kayla runs into Jaxon. Kieran was Jaxon’s best friend and Kayla’s deceased older brother. When they were teenagers, despite Kieran not wanting them to date, the two shared a night of intimacy. The same night, Kieran dies in a hit and run car wreck. Despite her misgivings about moving into Jaxon’s spare room, she knew Roy would never find her there. Her parents were buying his condo and Jaxon was moving to his family’s island. Jaxon still had feelings for Kayla and planned to attempt to rekindle their relationship. At the same time, his mind was also on a string of murders of former Navy SEALs that were on the same teams that his family had served on. After going to a group bonfire, Kayla agrees to give the relationship another try. After discovering the secrets that Jaxon had held about her brother, Kayla starts receiving messages from Roy and she discovers he had already met with her parents. What will Kayla do? What secrets did Jaxon reveal? Does Roy find Kayla?

After reading the first book of this series, McKinley excellent job building from pertinent characters mentioned in the first book. Xander and Jaxon are brothers and while not the main characters in this book, Xander and Riley début. The investigation that Xander had started is still in progress with Jaxon joining in. The character development is still my favorite aspect of her books, and I can’t wait to keep reading the series.

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Twisted Secrets (Deadly Isles Special Ops Book 1) by Amy McKinley – Review by Stephanie Chapman

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Twisted Secrets (Deadly Isles Special Ops)Twisted Secrets by Amy McKinley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Attraction to another person can lead to connection. Connections, in any facet of life, have a way of becoming intertwined. Amy McKinley executes this intertwining with perfection in Twisted Secrets: Deadly Isles Special Ops, Book 1. The book view is through the eyes of Xander and Riley. Xander, a Navy SEAL on temporary leave due to an injury, hears Riley’s voice outside the Coffee Hut and immediately decides to meet her. Riley feels the same attraction but feels somewhat guilty since she already has a boyfriend. Xander continues his pursuit of a friendship with her, and Riley begins to question her current relationship with Charles. Charles was her theory professor that she had met via her friend Mel. Mel was also dating Charles but to make everything more complicated, the professor was also married. When Riley chooses to no longer make Charles a priority and spends a day with her confidant and best friend Ava, the thoughts of how unhappy she is with him surface. Finally, Riley attempts to end her relationship with Charles and begins to spend more time with Xander. Meanwhile, Xander has been working on finding answers to the ambush that had caused his injury. After several days of spending time together, Riley and Xander begin a relationship. Trouble brews as Charles refuses to end the relationship, Mel suddenly disappears, and Riley’s apartment becomes the focus of a murder investigation. Will Riley and Xander’s new relationship fail with the strain of issues that plague both of them? Who broke into Riley’s apartment? How far will Charles go to make Riley his?

The character development that McKinley crafted is far superior to many suspense romance novels that I have read. The ending of the book is definitely shocking and tied all loose ends together. It also left open the future of Xander’s investigation on the ambush in his last mission.
I eagerly looked forward to reading the sequel.

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Don’t Worry, I Still Hate You by Marie Skye – Review by Stephanie Chapman

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Happily Ever AfterHappily Ever After by Piper Rayne
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was given ARC of Happily Ever After, Don’t Worry I Still Hate You by Marie Skye in exchange for a review.

“What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.” Perrie kept this moniker in her mind while attending a bachelorette party. A coworker convinced her to try out a hookup app. The first twist in Happily Ever After, Don’t Worry I Still Hate You is brought into play when Marie Skye has Perrie hooking up with Ash. The pair had a past relationship that fell apart because of secrets that Ash had failed to divulge. After Perrie’s one night stand, she posted an ad for a roommate. After screening through applicants, she was overjoyed to find Ashley. Perrie goes on a visit to her family. Two weeks later, she gets a major shock when she sees a naked Ash standing in her kitchen. She tries to keep him at a distance, but something has Ash actively pursuing her.

Appreciation of Skye’s ability to write the emotions of Ash and Pierre are definitely worth noting. Each chapter is labeled with the view that I was looking through. I have to side with Ash’s perception being logical and his actions being reasonable. Pierre was an emotionally reactive character with major abandonment issues. This story is worth a 5-star rating. The well-developed characters, believable interactions, and light comedy made this a quick read for me but also a book that I couldn’t help reading more than once. I caution against younger readers because of the explicit scenes and profanity. The backstory of the characters is tied in with how each character is feeling from the current situation they are facing.

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Titanian’s Phoenix: Titanian Chronicles by Victoria Saccenti – Review by Stephanie Chapman

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Titanian's Phoenix: Titanian ChroniclesTitanian’s Phoenix: Titanian Chronicles by Victoria Saccenti
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Imagine an elderly relative telling you stories of a magic realm’s existence. Anna told her god-daughter several stories about elves, titans, and more creatures that coexisted among humans. Maya dismissed the stories about magic as make-believe or perhaps senility from her godmother. Then the unthinkable happens. In Titanian’s Phoenix, Victoria Saccenti shows Maya Brown’s discovery of the truth behind Anna’s stories. Mays arrives home from work and is drugged by an unknown assailant. When she wakes up, she finds Anna has also been abducted. Anna assists Maya’s escape with magic and advises her to find Soren or Brant. When she arrives at the bar, she asks the barmaid where to find Soren. The large Titan appears suddenly behind her, causing her to faint. He has been expecting to claim Maya as his mate. Before her arrival, Soren had been watching a meeting between a man, daemon and an elf about production of something that would change the dynamics of the magical realm’s existence. Maya is about to embark upon a journey into the magic realm.

There is nothing negative to say about Titanian’s Phoenix. The descriptions of the scenery and the well-developed characters allowed my full engagement with Saccenti’s story. I felt the frustration that Maya felt when she didn’t understand how Soren could be amorous one day and dismissive the next. I was suspicious of Talaith’s quiet role as a powerful seer. This is a story that will captivate your mind and keep you begging for more. I sincerely look forward to reading the other books included in this series. I recommend this book for mature adults due to the explicit scenes, violence, and profanity. These elements do not detract from this five-star novel’s quality.

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Stone of Destiny (Juniper Samoni Trilogy Book 1) by Nadine Travers – Review by Stephanie Chapman

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Stone of DestinyStone of Destiny by Nadine Travers
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Stone of Destiny by Nadine Travers is a paranormal fantasy story about Juniper. Juniper was an orphan at a young age and adopted by Lilandra, the mentor of the Witch Warriors. Juniper was extremely emotionally driven in her missions. In her dreams, magical stones would call to her to rescue them from evil forces. The book opens with Juniper using her limited magical powers to keep a stone from a group that was made up of a werewolf, a witch, a vampire, and a demon. Just when it seems that she is about to succumb to her enemies, a strange man comes to her aid, and she escapes to safety. While recovering, Juniper is called again by the powerful Stone of Destiny. A secret power that Juniper holds is becoming stronger the closer Halloween approaches. Meanwhile, a strange being has sent the evil group in search of the same stone. Donovan, the werewolf, is mated to Sophia, a fire witch. Cross unions are illegal and the mysterious Lady has promised to use the powers of the stone to change the laws so that crossing of species is no longer a death sentence. Unbeknownst to them, the Lady has a much more sinister plan and is using the group as mere pawns.

This book defines good and evil but there is actually good within the evil. The group fighting against Juniper is actually looking at making life better for all. They are extremely loyal to one another and on many opportunities, try to avoid conflicts with the Witch Warriors. When they encounter Lilandra, she also avoids killing any of her enemies. Juniper is very hot-tempered and acts without thinking about the immense amount of danger she places herself in. The strange man that saved her in the first fight starts following her, which she resents. For some reason, the young woman seems to think that she should always be alone. This attitude and lack of forethought does have disastrous results to others that want to ally with her.

I would recommend this fantasy book to young readers with caution to some profanity used. There is a lot of action and the fight scenes are not exceptionally gore filled. Most of the book is from Juniper’s view but occasionally shifts to the perceptions of the other main characters. I couldn’t help but empathize with Donovan’s intentions because, as an antagonist, he was literally trying to make a better life for everyone. The ending of this book allows a seamless transition to the sequel.

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Flipping the Bird: A Paranormal Chick Lit Novel (Shift Creek book 1) by Carrie Pulkinen – Review by Stephanie Chapman

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Flipping the Bird (Shift Creek, #1)Flipping the Bird by Carrie Pulkinen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Carrie Pulkinen’s paranormal romance novel Flipping The Bird is an enchanting tale set in a small town called Shift Creek. The town received its name from the magical creek that reversed its flow on the full moon. The inhabitants of the town are magical beings that can shift to an animal form, like Alice’s ability to become a crow and her friend’s ability to change to a raccoon. Unfortunately the creek is in jeopardy as the warlock that enchanted the water is dead and only his family bloodline of Rainecourts can manage the creek. Sadly, his two known sons think very little of the town and refuse to help. One day a new inhabitant of the abandoned Rainecourt mansion appears. Donovan Drake automatically attracts Alice and she changes to her crow form to investigate who he is. She sees he has a talking mongoose familiar and she automatically assumes he is a warlock. When she leaves from his balcony she picks up a shiny green amulet from his trash can. Little does she know that the amulet is a necessity for Donovan as his magic powers are locked and he has less than a month to prevent losing them forever. Donovan runs into Alice at her store and both immediately feel a connection. The remainder of the book shows the building of a romantic relationship between the two. Does Donovan show his true issue with his powers and his heritage? Does Alice discover the power held in the amulet? Will Shift Creek lose its magic powers and disappear?

I found that Flipping The Bird was a very quick read as I finished it in one sitting. The explicit sexual content as well as the profanity makes this story for mature readers. I enjoyed the witty humor that Pulkinen included with the story. The ending of the story was an unexpected one but I felt that it was a bit rushed. I would have liked the descriptions of the scenery to be more thorough and the dialogue to have been better developed. I did like the overall story but wished the book was longer.

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Gianluca (Marini Family Romance Book 1) by Isabella Cassazza – Review by Stephanie Chapman

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Gianluca (Marini Family #1)Gianluca by Isabella Cassazza
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was quickly drawn into Gianluca by Isabella Cassazza. At first I thought I expected to have difficulty with Italian words but then my worries were alleviated by how the point of view was told in first person by Callie in a simultaneous way that recounted the events that Gianluca Mirani described. There was only one part I didn’t understand that was about the symbols by Signore Ravelli.

Gianluca Mirani was a ruthless manager at an Italian fashion company. His high standards made people avoid his disapproval as he was quick to fire anyone that questioned him. He was in a bind due to his assistant going on her honeymoon. An intern was being brought in for 6 weeks to fill in.When he realizes Calliope James is an American and has no previous experience, he automatically believes she will be a major hindrance to an upcoming advertisement photo shoot.

Callie arrives in Italy only to face one issue after another. The apartment she has leased seems to lack air conditioning. All of her clothes are wet from her suitcase being in the rain, and she has no phone service. Thankfully, Gianluca’s sister Fracesca befriends Callie and helps her with clothing and other tasks when Gianluca’s assistant leaves work.

Immediately, Callie has a crush on Gianluca. As they spend more time together, both begin to notice a magnetic attraction to the other. Do they end up acting on their inner desires? Gianluca never wanted a relationship, and Callie wished she had not chosen to do an internship. Both of them have something that shadows their lives. What secrets get revealed and will they cost Gianluca his job? Read this suspense filled romance novel to see what the future holds for the duo. I am certain that the plot twists will keep you guessing until the end.

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The Bullet Theory (Dr. Nolan Mills Book 1) by Sonya Jesus – Review by Stephanie Chapman

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The Bullet Theory (Dr. Nolan Mills, #1)The Bullet Theory by Sonya Jesus
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The loss of loved ones is extremely painful for many. Losing a child to murder is something unfathomable for parents. In The Bullet Theory, Sonya Jesus writes about such loss from the views of Eleanor Devero and her therapist Nolan Mills.

Eleanor is a former suspect interrogation specialist that is on unpaid leave after she was shot in an undercover investigation. Eleanor was pregnant and lost the baby. Three months later finds her fiancé, Kace Dalton, attempting to get her to move forward. Eleanor resents how he appears fine despite her attacker not being identified, and the loss of their unborn son. She is not allowed to return to work until she is deemed fit by a psychiatrist.

Nolan Mills is a psychiatrist working on a government project that is attempting to find the likelihood of family members of murder victims taking revenge upon verified murderer. He becomes extremely interested in Eleanor’s case when he becomes her therapist. As the book progresses, Eleanor begins to undergo emotional changes that make her fiancé hopeful.

Meanwhile, despite therapy, Eleanor secretly wants to find “The Bullet Man”. Labeled by police as a serial killer, the mystery man has solved several of the cold cases. Using several couriers, the families of murder victims receive a package with a bullet with the name of who killed their loved one as well as evidence to support the claim. Eleanor wants to find the “Bullet Man” to see if he can help her find her attacker.

What plans does Eleanor plan if she discovers the person responsible for the loss of her baby? Can Nolan break through the wall that she has put between herself and Kace? Who is the “The Bullet Man” and how does he or she get the information for police cold cases? What would you do if you lost someone to murder, and received an inscribed bullet with the murderer’s name? Would you seek revenge or turn the information over to the police? Find these answers and more in this suspense filled book.

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