Tag Archives: Political

Strong Silent SEAL (SEALs of Coronado # 2)

By Paige Tyler

Synopsis

Wedding planner Felicia Bradford is in trouble. Mercenaries are holding her sister hostage and threatening to kill her unless Felicia helps them steal top secret information from the Navy’s Special Operations Headquarters. Having no other way to access the base, she pulls a gun on the first man in a Navy uniform she finds, demanding he get her through the gate.

Navy SEAL Logan Dunn just got back from a mission in Syria and is looking for a little down time to relax. That plan goes out the window when a beautiful woman shoves a gun in his back and begs him to do something she clearly doesn’t want to do. Logan does what any Navy SEAL would do in the same situation—he saves the girl and takes out the bad guys.

But their actions that day kick off a crazy chain of events, including a fast-burning whirlwind romance, an out-of-control sister, an insane covert plot involving a defecting Russian pilot, a mercenary bent on revenge, and a sunrise wedding for a bride who never wakes up before noon.

Getting through her sister’s kidnapping will look like a piece of cake compared to what comes next.

Review

I’m going to keep this review short because having read this story the day before writing this review, I honestly can’t remember much about it. STRONG SILENT SEAL is told in dual POVs and while it’s part of a series, it can be read as a stand-alone. That being said, this book does mention the previous couple and the events that took place in that story (one of which is still ongoing), so if you haven’t read the previous book, you’ll have no idea what’s going on. This is a novella and I have to say that the story moves fast…very fast. It’s also an insta-love and I found the plot to be fairly predictable. It does come with a HEA, but the ending sneaks up on you; I was surprised when I suddenly realised the story had reached its conclusion. Overall, it wasn’t a bad read but it wasn’t as good as I was hoping it would be.

“If I’d known all I had to do to get a homemade meal like this was to save a woman from Russian kidnappers, I would have done it a long time ago.”

Strong Silent SEAL (SEALs of Coronado # 2)

My Rating:

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SEALs of Coronado Series

Wicked Lust (Wicked Horse # 2)

By Sawyer Bennett

Synopsis

Cain Bonham is as big and bad as they come. After serving in the Marines, he’s returned home to Wyoming and now works as head of security at the exclusive sex club, The Wicked Horse. His job is to protect not only the patrons, but to zealously guard the secret existence of the club itself.

Sloane Preston is all about discovering secrets. As an undercover reporter, she’s determined to reveal the truth behind the facade of The Wicked Horse and expose it for all the world to see. She just didn’t count on her pathway into the club coming at the hands of one gorgeously scarred and bad ass bouncer who manages to easily possess her body and soul.

While Cain’s not looking for anyone to catch his eye, Sloane did it all the same, and he’s not bemoaning the fact that she’s as wickedly kinky as he is. As both get caught up in the sinful fantasies that only The Wicked Horse can create, secrets and loyalties will be tested and hearts will risk being broken.

Review

Cain is head of security at The Wicked Horse and The Silo, the secret sex club located at the back of the bar. As an employee, he gets free membership to the club, which is a perk he takes advantage of almost every day. He’s also a Fantasy Maker and is one of their most popular employees. Sloane is a reporter looking into a potential political scandal linked to the club and she plans on using Cain as her way in. But she’s not interested in fabricating a story or destroying the reputation of innocent people, and her physical and “professional” relationship with Cain quickly turns emotional and personal.

Cain. Wow. I mean, just WOW!!! He is one seriously hot and kinky guy. There’s a darkness inside him that makes all the good girls want to be bad. So very, very bad. He’s been hurt by a woman in his past and he vows that will never happen again. So when he started having feelings for Sloane, I knew how devastated he was going to be when he learned the truth. I didn’t like that Sloane was willing to sleep with Cain to get her story, but putting that aside, she really is a very nice woman. She has a strong sense of justice and owns up to her mistakes without making excuses. And I can’t fault a person who really did try to do the right thing.

This book was hot, hot, HOT!!! Definitely hotter, steamier and juicier than the first book. THIS is more what I was expecting to read in book one, WICKED FALL. It’s still a bit tame compared to some other sex club series I’ve read, but we’re certainly on our way to some really kinky shit. Bring it on. WICKED LUST is told in dual POVs and while it’s part of a series, it can be read as a stand-alone.

Wicked Lust (Wicked Horse # 2)

My Rating:

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Wicked Horse Series

Fatal Frenzy (Fatal Series # 9)

By Marie Force

Synopsis

Inauguration day is almost here…

Lieutenant Sam Holland is on leave, recovering from an attack that shook her to the core. With no case to distract her, she’s trying to stay busy—even voluntarily meeting with her new White House staff. But it’s not enough to keep the horrific memories at bay, and her family is worried…especially her husband, Vice President Nick Cappuano.

Nick is dealing with his own demons where his wife’s safety is concerned, losing night after night of sleep as he works to make sure what happened that day will never happen again. The pressure is building inside the Cappuanos’ marriage, and something’s got to give before Nick takes the oath of office.

When two college girls go missing in the midst of inauguration madness, the chief of police needs the one cop he can count on to find them and save the Metro PD from disgrace. In a case full of ugly twists and turns, Sam will have to confront her past and find her strength again…before it’s too late.

Review

At the end of FATAL SCANDAL, Sam was rescued after being held captive and tortured by her fellow MPD detective, Lieutenant Stahl. In the beginning of FATAL FRENZY, she’s not coping too well and for the first time in her career, she has no desire to get back to work. Even a knife-wielding maniac loose on her streets isn’t enough motivation to go back. Nick, who’s about to be sworn in as Vice President of the United States, is very concerned for her well-being, as are her co-workers at the MPD. Sadly, it takes the death of one of her detectives to get her head back in the game. And when she takes over the case? Holy cow. It doesn’t matter where she is, what she’s wearing or who’s watching, if she sees her perp, she’ll take him down in spectacular fashion. I absolutely loved how she got her man in this book.

“What can I say? When people I love are hurt, I become a vengeful bitch.”

While FATAL FRENZY mainly revolves around Sam trying to deal with her trauma and then solving the current case, we also see her trying to juggle her two roles of Lt Holland and Mrs Cappuano, Second Lady of the United States. She finally realises just how big her role as Second Lady will be and how important it is that she do the job justice so as not to embarrass her husband. Nick has accepted the fact that the President used him for his popularity to ensure he’d be re-elected as President and is now being brushed aside because the President has no further use for him. But Nick is not one to sit idly by and vows to shake things up at the White House. He’s popular for a reason and he intends to capitalise on it and make his mark.

I love the Fatal Series; it’s one of those series where I’ll buy the books despite the high price of the digital copy. I got the impression that perhaps the series is getting ready to be wrapped up because there were quite a few “flashbacks” in regards to previous cases that are closing and how everyone is recovering. Or maybe the “flashbacks” are there because we’re at book nine now and it’s becoming harder to remember everything that’s happened previously. As with the previous books, there’s no cliffhanger, but we are set up and ready for the next chapter in Sam and Nick’s lives.

Fatal Frenzy (Fatal Series # 9)

My Rating:

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Fatal Series

Framed

By CP Smith

Synopsis

Six hundred minutes. That’s all it took ex-SEAL Kade Kingston to find trouble his first day home. He’d managed to survive covert operations in the hostile mountains of Afghanistan, only to be brought down by a baseball bat. If he had the first five hundred minutes back, he would have only had one drink before insisting his old friend tell him what the hell was going on. As it stood now, he and Sutton were both dead in the water—literally and figuratively. Six hundred minutes. That’s all it took for Kade Kingston to walk back into hell in his own backyard, losing everything in the process . . . including his freedom.

Inmate dog trainer, Harley Dash, knew Kade briefly as a teenager and was convinced of his innocence. Wanting to help the brooding ex-SEAL, she took it upon herself to force Kade into the Inmate Dog Training Program while she looked for a killer. With Kade confined, Harley and her father, along with two sexy SEALs, looked for evidence that would set Kade free.

Unfortunately, for Kade, Sutton’s murder was just the tip of the iceberg in a case of corruption and murder, one that will send Kade and Harley into the Florida Everglades with a killer.

Will they survive the alligators of the Florida Everglades, or will the Dread Pirate Roberts exact his revenge?

Review

Kade is an ex-SEAL who, on his first night back home, was in the wrong place at the wrong time. With no evidence to back up his side of the story, he’s promptly tried and convicted of manslaughter and sent to prison. He waits for his SEAL team brothers to return home and conduct their own investigation, but their pending arrival only makes things worse. The people behind the murder are rich and powerful and will do anything to keep their involvement a secret. It’s no longer his freedom on the line, but his life. If that’s not bad enough, his high school crush, Harley, works at the prison and while she’s close enough to touch, she’s never been more out of reach.

Kade is your typical SEAL: loyal; dominant; dangerous; and sex-on-a-stick hot. When I say dominant, I mean he’s sometimes too dominant to the point he’d come off as controlling and overbearing. But he more than makes up for it in the bedroom. Harley is a very smart and capable woman, but sometimes she did really stupid things that, of course, would put her in danger. Kade’s SEAL buddies, Prez and D, were funny despite the situation and added just the right amount of comic relief.

FRAMED was a great read and the first I’ve read from CP Smith. The synopsis caught my attention and it ended up being a book I couldn’t put down. The mystery itself wasn’t really there because you get told pretty early on who all the players are and what they’re hiding, but it still had me gnawing at my fingernails waiting for the next exciting moment. The only issue I had with the story was the constant references to The Princess Bride. I swear it was mentioned in almost every chapter and I’m assuming it was done to lighten the mood, but it ended up being very silly. FRAMED is told in dual POVs and comes with a nice HEA where everyone gets exactly what they deserve.

Framed

My Rating:

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Choose Me (The Archer Brothers # 2)

By Heidi McLaughlin

Synopsis

Two brothers.
One woman.
One son.
One choice.

Lives ripped apart, shattered and rebuilt.

Evan and Nate Archer: Brothers, best friends, warriors and now enemies. Both in love with the same woman. Both determined to fight for what they want.

Nate Archer promised to protect Ryley Clarke in the event Evan didn’t make it back. It’s a promise between brothers since the early days of basic training. Nate never considered that his feelings, long buried since high school, would resurface and grow stronger.

Evan Archer wants answers. He wants someone to pay. After being gone for an unprecedented amount of time, nothing is making sense now that he’s home. Most of all, he can’t understand how his brother ended up engaged to his fiancée. Evan is determined to uncover the mystery, and win back his family.

The Archers are about to fight dirty.

Review

Nate has returned home from a training exercise to find his long-deceased twin is alive and well and has been living in his house with his family. To say that Evan is angry at Nate’s “betrayal” would be a huge understatement and he vows to do whatever it takes to get Ryley and his son back. As the brothers come to blows, Ryley is stuck in the middle with her son knowing that she’ll only be able to choose one of them while destroying the other in the process. But questions about Evan’s six year deployment remain and lives are threatened the deeper they dig.

I was really looking forward to reading CHOOSE ME and getting to experience the gut-wrenching sadness when finding out who Ryley would choose, leaving the other a devastated mess. What’s really disappointing for me is that as soon as a fourth person entered the picture, one of the brother’s intense love for Ryley suddenly vanished into thin air, so a choice didn’t even have to be made. I mean, I suppose it was nice and all that neither brother was left alone, but talk about being let down.

While some of the story is focused on the Archer brothers and Ryley, most of the book revolves around the conspiracy involving Evan’s team and their six year deployment. Again, I was looking forward to the conspiracy unravelling, finding out who the players involved were, the hows, the whys, all of it, but sadly even the conspiracy let me down. I read this book in one sitting and unless I accidentally skipped a bunch of sections, I don’t understand how the conspiracy was solved. We were only provided with little bits of information and somehow with those tiny pieces, the entire operation was brought to its knees. It was all wrapped up and most of the parties involved got arrested, but I was left with way too many questions (which are bugging the hell out of me) because nothing was really explained. The conspiracy was my favourite part of the story in book # 1, but its execution and conclusion was a huge disappointment.

CHOOSE ME is told in Nate and Evan’s POVs with the epilogue being told in Ryley’s. There will be another novel in the Archer Brothers series and it will be about Evan’s teammate, Tucker McCoy, as he tries to locate his wife and daughter that went missing after he was declared dead.

Choose Me (The Archer Brothers # 2)

My Rating:

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The Archer Brothers Series

The Kiss Of Life (Soul Mate Rescued # 1)

By Char Sharp

Synopsis

Do you believe it’s possible to fall in love again at first sight?

No? I didn’t either.

I was eight years old, when I told the love of my life that I would marry him someday. He laughed at me. He was nine years my senior and my big brother’s best friend. My wish came true though, and as adults, we did marry, and lived in wedded bliss for six years, until one fatal night…when my world changed forever.

My name is Elizabeth. Terrorists murdered my beloved husband, U.S. Navy Commander William Grey Foster. Thirteen long months of sleepless, lonely nights crept by as I mourned my husband, when suddenly they took everything else from me. Now, my life was in danger, too.

Rescued by U.S. Senator John Prescott Cole, an ex-Navy SEAL and rich playboy, he quickly became my protector.

Could he rescue me not only from danger, but from being heartbroken and alone?

Who would protect my heart from this handsome, fearless man? Part of it would always belong to Will, but could I give away the other part to a man who’s known as a womanizer?

Is true love really only once in a lifetime?

Review

THE KISS OF LIFE is the debut novel from Char Sharp. The story sounded interesting and who doesn’t like to read about a millionaire politician that can kick arse, take names, rescue the girl, all while falling in love and committing to a single woman.

Unfortunately there were a few little issues I had with the book that were hard for me to ignore. I couldn’t relate to how the characters spoke to each other; it was so prim and proper and sometimes the dialogue was like reading a polite letter. The two main characters addressed each other by their names constantly, and again, that just doesn’t happen in real life. I thought that reading about the music the characters were always listening to, as well as the designer clothes Liz and John were wearing, was overly descriptive.

Despite the complaints above, I did find myself enjoying the story. I liked both John and Liz as well as the secondary characters. The action scenes were by far my favourite; they were written really well and had my heart pumping, hoping for a win for the good guys. While I did enjoy the story, I felt it was a little slow going and it took me a few days to finish it. If this is indeed Mrs Sharp’s debut novel, she has great potential writing in this genre and I would read another book from her to see how she’s progressing.

The Kiss Of Life (Soul Mate Rescued # 1)

My Rating:

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June (Calendar Girl # 6)

By Audrey Carlan

Synopsis

Politics, phallic statues, and pretty women.

Literally everywhere you look, you see an old man and a gold-digging, cling-on wrapped around their wrinkly arms.

Looks as though my hot streak ended when Warren Shipley, one of the nation’s wealthiest men, hired me to play arm-candy to save face with the other one percenters he did business with. At least that’s what I thought when I arrived in Washington, DC, until I was met by old man Shipley’s debonair and insanely handsome son. The Senator from California, Aaron Shipley. Youngest senator in the history of politics, single, beyond rich, and the face of every political magazine around the US. Women everywhere wanted a taste of that power.

Me, I’d always thought politics were boring…boy was I wrong. Democracy had never been more exciting.

Review

I’m loving the Calendar Girl series and am enjoying following Mia through her 12 month journey as a high-end escort, using the money to pay off the loan shark that beat her father into a coma. JUNE starts off with a paranormal feel to it when Mia first meets Aaron, the son of her client, Warren. There’s a literal spark, an electrical pull they feel at the beginning which I thought could be an interesting part of the story and unique to the series, but not only did that spark go nowhere, Mia’s encounters with Aaron take a completely different and disturbing turn, one I was not expecting to see. Reading the synopsis, you get the impression that JUNE is going to be very political, but to be honest, I don’t think there were any politics involved at all, it’s just rich men making deals. Wait, maybe that is political. Mia’s job is to be nothing more than arm candy to make Warren Shipley look like he belongs in the group he’s trying to work to his advantage.

Towards the end of the previous books, Mia tends to reflect back on her client and the life lesson she learned during the month. There was a lot more reflection in this book given that we are now halfway through her 12 month journey and she’s still trying to figure out who she is and what she’ll do when the year is over. Wes comes back into the picture right at the beginning and the situation is still a little tense between the pair. I wish that Mia would have stood up for herself a little more against Wes. There’s a big difference between what Mia is possibly doing in private and what Wes is doing in public, parading around with another woman with the pair appearing on the cover of magazines. But hey, that’s just my opinion. She also reconnects with Mason, Rachel and Tai, and Mia learnt that not only are they her friends, they are her family and they’ll be there for her whenever she needs them. For me, reconnecting with her friends and being shown she was truly loved was the best part of this story.

June (Calendar Girl # 6)

My Rating:

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Calendar Girl Series

One Night With You (Fatal Series # 0.5)

By Marie Force

Synopsis

Since the debut of Fatal Affair in 2010, Fatal Series readers have been wondering about that “memorable” one-night stand between Sam Holland and Nick Cappuano that took place six years before Fatal Affair opens. Well, wonder no more! One Night With You tells the story of Sam and Nick’s fateful first meeting in which all the chemistry and heat we have come to expect from them is on full display from the first moments they meet. Get all the details of Sam and Nick’s unforgettable night together in this 14,000-word novella! You might want to keep a fan and some ice water handy, because this story is H-O-T!

Review

There’s not much to say about ONE NIGHT WITH YOU given that it’s a prequel novella to the Fatal Series. I have read all book in this series and have loved each and every one of them while watching Sam and Nick’s relationship evolve. This was just a cute, quick and hot read as to how Sam and Nick met and the night that left them with very fond memories of each other, memories they would hold dear for six years until they found each other again. I liked reading about the goals Sam had for her career, knowing that they’ve since come true. I really liked the humour between Sam and Nick, something I don’t think you really see anymore now that their lives are so busy and stressful.

One Night With You (Fatal Series # 0.5)

My Rating:

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Fatal Series

Fatal Scandal (Fatal Series # 8)

By Marie Force

Synopsis

As a new year dawns in the capital city, dual scandals rock the Metropolitan Police Department—and Lieutenant Sam Holland is right in the middle of them. Chief Farnsworth is catching heat for the way he handled a recent homicide investigation, and Detective Gonzales is accused of failing to disclose an earlier connection to the judge who decided his custody hearing.

When Gonzo’s fight for his child turns deadly and he has a shaky alibi, Sam must defend two of her closest colleagues. All while her husband, Vice President Nick Cappuano, settles into his new office at the White House.

Nick begins to wonder if the president is using him for a political boost, and his worries mount over a complication in the plans to adopt Scotty at a time when Sam is being put through the wringer by the always-rabid DC press corps. As the evidence against Gonzo piles up, Sam suspects someone is gunning for her—and her team.

Review

FATAL SCANDAL is book 8 in the Fatal Series, and this is one of those series that I love and have to buy when the next instalment is released, regardless of the cost. While this is the eighth book in the series, only about a year has passed since the events in book 1. In that year, Sam and Nick have reconnected, gotten married, been promoted and started an adoption process.

This is not a stand-alone novel and I recommend you start from the beginning if you’re interested in getting to know this series. I have previously read books 1-7 and I still had trouble remembering past events, scandals and investigations that are mentioned throughout this book.

Nick is now the Vice President of the United States of America, but he’s very concerned that since being sworn in six weeks prior, the President and his staff have had zero contact with him. He now fears that the President simply used Nick’s popularity to ensure his own re-election into the most powerful position in the world.

Sam’s MPD’s Homicide Division is currently being rocked by two scandals: one involving Detective Gonzales’ custody battle and his connection to the judge; and another involving Chief Farnsworth’s decision to put a homicide investigation on hold for a Narcotics Division op. The scandals erupt further when the two civilians involved are murdered and all fingers point to the officers in question. Trying to clear her people’s names and solve the murders prove difficult when someone inside the MPD leaks inaccurate yet damning information to the press. The hunt is now on for the killer and the leak trying desperately to discredit her department.

On top of that, Nick and Sam are trying to adjust to Nick’s new way of life and the necessary intrusion of the Secret Service, as well as handling Scotty’s adoption process which has the potential to be thwarted.

What can I say about Sam other than the fact that I love her? Only that she’s strong, independent and quick witted with a very dry personality. She’s fiercely loyal to those she loves and cares about, but piss her off and she becomes the ultimate bitch who’ll put you in your place and make no apologies about it.

“And you wonder why you’re always pissing people off.”
“I don’t actually wonder.”

And Nick? Well, he’s just become Mr Vice President, and who doesn’t love a man in a very high position of power? His love for Sam is deep and beautiful, and their sex scenes are not only scorching and heading towards kinky, but loving as well. But I think I love Nick most when he’s interacting with Scotty. They have such a wonderful Father/Son relationship and a couple of scenes brought tears to my eyes.

So as I said earlier, this is one of those series that is a must read for me. That being said, we are up to book 8 now and as much as I love following Sam and Nick, I’m wondering how much longer the series can go on for. Thankfully the main group of characters haven’t changed, and there’s not a whole bunch of new characters added in every book that you have to try and keep up with. The hardest part is remembering all the previous investigations and events, especially when those events seem to used against Sam.

“I hate this day with a fiery passion of a thousand haemorrhoids.”

Fatal Scandal (Fatal Series # 8)

My Rating:

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