New Release: The Hitchcock Hotel by Stephanie Wrobel

The Hitchcock Hotel
by Stephanie Wrobel
September 24, 2024
352 pages
Publisher: Berkley

Genre: Psychological Thrillers, suspense
A Hitchcock fanatic with an agenda invites old friends for a weekend stay at his secluded themed hotel in this fiendishly clever, suspenseful new novel from the international bestselling author of Darling Rose Gold.

Alfred Smettle is not your average Hitchcock fan. He is the founder, owner, and manager of The Hitchcock Hotel, a sprawling Victorian house in the White Mountains dedicated to the Master of Suspense. There, Alfred offers his guests round-the-clock film screenings, movie props and memorabilia in every room, plus an aviary with fifty crows.

To celebrate the hotel’s first anniversary, he invites his former best friends from his college Film Club for a reunion. He hasn’t spoken to any of them in sixteen years, not after what happened.

But who better than them to appreciate Alfred’s creation? And to help him finish it.

After all, no Hitchcock set is complete without a body.

Amazon

Praise

“[T]his locked-room mystery contains masterful pacing, with suspense built around the identity of the victim and then the discovery of the killer. Wrobel’s third novel (after This Might Hurt, 2022) artfully blends suspense with mystery, tying in quotes from Hitchcock as well as research about his work that will be intriguing to Hitchcock amateurs and aficionados alike.”
—Booklist (starred review)

“Hugely readable and tremendous fun. As twisty as a Hitchcock film, full of mystery and suspense, this is a hotel I recommend checking into – even if there’s no guarantee you’ll make it out alive…”
—Alex Michaelides, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Silent Patient and The Fury

“Fans of Knives Out, Agatha Christie, and (of course) Alfred Hitchcock, rejoice! The Hitchcock Hotel is cool, classy – but such fun; reverent – yet so original. And – above all – almost biologically impossible to put down once picked up. Hitchcock would’ve loved it. I sure as hell did.”
—AJ Finn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in the Window and End of Story

“A slow burn of suspense, secrets, and lies that—in true Hitchcockian fashion—explodes into a series of twists, each more jaw-dropping than the last.”
— Riley Sager, New York Times bestselling author of Middle of the Night

“With gasp-worthy twists and razor-sharp wit, Stephanie Wrobel pays brilliant tribute to Alfred Hitchcock’s legacy in The Hitchcock Hotel. When five college friends gather at one’s Hitchcock-themed hotel, dangerous secrets from the past refuse to stay buried. Trapped with no way out, they must figure out the mastermind behind the increasingly disturbing incidents to stay alive. A masterful, perfectly plotted Hitchcockian tale for our times.”
—Julia Bartz, New York Times bestselling author of The Writing Retreat

“The Hitchcock Hotel is not only enthralling and suspenseful, but author Stephanie Wrobel has managed to craft a wholly original thriller filled with the pleasures of homage and a tribute to one of the great suspense storytellers. Like any Hitchcock film, prepare for fantastic twists, complex characters, and an ending you’ll think about long after THE END.”
—Vanessa Lillie, USA Today bestselling author of Blood Sisters

About the Author
https://stephaniewrobel.com/
Stephanie Wrobel is an international and USA Today bestselling author. Her debut, Darling Rose Gold, has sold rights in twenty-one countries and was a finalist for the Edgar® Award for Best First Novel. Wrobel grew up in Chicago and now lives in New York City.

Book Review: A Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating a Demon by Sarah Hawley

A Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating a Demon
By Sarah Hawley
March 7, 2023
Genre: paranormal romance, romantic comedy

Publisher: Berkley
Mariel Spark knows not to trust a demon, especially one that wants her soul, but what’s a witch to do when he won’t leave her side—and she kind of doesn’t want him to?

Mariel Spark is prophesied to be the most powerful witch seen in centuries of the famed Spark family, but to the displeasure of her mother, she prefers baking to brewing potions and gardening to casting hexes. When a spell to summon flour goes very wrong, Mariel finds herself staring down a demon—one she inadvertently summoned for a soul bargain.

Ozroth the Ruthless is a legend among demons. Powerful and merciless, he drives hard bargains to collect mortal souls. But his reputation has suffered ever since a bargain went awry—if he can strike a bargain with Mariel, he will earn back his deadly reputation. Ozroth can't leave Mariel's side until they complete a bargain, which she refuses to do (turns out some humans are attached to their souls).

But the witch is funny. And curvy. And disgustingly yet endearingly cheerful. Becoming awkward roommates quickly escalates when Mariel, terrified to confess the inadvertent summoning to her mother, blurts out that she's dating Ozroth. As Ozroth and Mariel struggle with their opposing goals and maintaining a fake relationship, real attraction blooms between them. But Ozroth has a limited amount of time to strike the deal, and if Mariel gives up her soul, she'll lose all her emotions—including love—which will only spell disaster for them both.

Amazon

Mariel Spark comes from a family line of highly powerful witches. The problem is, though Mariel is prophesized to be a powerhouse, her magic is a perennial flop. Despite her best efforts, Mariel can never live up to her family’s expectations and her purported legacy. While practicing her craft, Mariel accidently summons legendary demon Ozroth the Ruthless and unintentionally binds him to earth until their soul pact is complete. Ozroth must capture her soul before he can return to the underworld. Only Mariel would prefer her soul remain intact, and so begins a game of cat and mouse. “Oz” has his own issues. Since a recent soul acquisitions, he hasn’t been quite the same. He’s been feeling, empathizing just a little too much and the demon powers that be aren’t happy. Mariel and Oz form a tenuous alliance, posing as romantic partners until they can find a mutually beneficial solution. Soon, however, the fake romance begins to take real roots, putting them both in danger.

A Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating a Demon was a quick read, rather fun and entertaining. I literally laughed out loud several times throughout. I also liked the author’s wink and nod to contemporary societal issues and events such as the environment, healthcare system, and even the college admission scandal. I did not, however, like Mariel. Her character was all over the place ranging from a kind, loving amateur botanist to a petty, impetuous child. Mariel’s mother is an absolute caricature with no redeeming qualities, yet their issues are neatly tied up by the end of the book. The romance aspect is graphic, so if you’re not into that sort of thing, you’ve been warned. Usually, I don’t mind, but since I hadn’t connected to the couple, I found myself glossing over these scenes.

This book leads nicely into the coming second installment featuring Oz’s mentor and demon baddie Astaroth and Mariel’s fitness fanatic witch friend Calladia. Astaroth is a promising character with style and swagger to spare. I am intrigued and may pick up the second installment of this series.

Three Sheep

Bianca Greenwood

About the Author:

website-Instagram-Twitter

Sarah Hawley is an author of romance and fantasy novels. She was a winner of RevPit 2018, and her short stories and satirical articles have been published by Hooked, Slackjaw, The Belladonna Comedy, and Points in Case. She co-hosts the Wicked Wallflowers Club podcast about romance fiction, which was featured on Entertainment Weekly’s “Must List” as “a compelling reminder of why the oft-dismissed genre is a real force in cultural conversations about consent and desire.”

Sarah has an MA in archaeology and has excavated at an Inca site in Chile, a Bronze Age palace in Turkey, and a medieval abbey in England. When not dreaming up whimsical love stories, she can be found reading, dancing, or cuddling her two cats.

Paperback Release: The Space Between the Stars by Anne Corlett + giveaway

Praise for THE SPACE BETWEEN STARS:

“Strikingly written, with very human characters and a deep concern with human frailty...an excellent debut.”—Tor.com

“Corlett offers a thoughtful examination of how individuals find meaning and fulfillment in the face of an apocalyptic event then wraps up with a thrilleresque ending.”—Booklist

“With its unique plot and luminous prose, it’s hard to believe that The Space Between the Stars is a debut novel. Anne Corlett understands the complexities and frailties of the human heart and captures it brilliantly on the page. Don’t let the setting fool you—this is a story for any age, combining love, loss, grief, hope, and possibilities all in one delicious book. Definitely one for my keeper shelf.”—Karen White, New York Times bestselling author of The Night the Lights Went Out

What if the universe had to start over? Where would you go?

The Space Between the Stars

by Anne Corlett
February 6, 2018
Berkley- Penguin Group
368 pages

In a breathtakingly vivid and emotionally gripping debut novel, one woman must confront the emptiness in the universe—and in her own heart—when a devastating virus reduces most of humanity to dust and memories.

All Jamie Allenby ever wanted was space. Even though she wasn’t forced to emigrate from Earth, she willingly left the overpopulated, claustrophobic planet. And when a long relationship devolved into silence and suffocating sadness, she found work on a frontier world on the edges of civilization. Then the virus hit...

Now Jamie finds herself dreadfully alone, with all that’s left of the dead. Until a garbled message from Earth gives her hope that someone from her past might still be alive.

Soon Jamie finds other survivors, and their ragtag group will travel through the vast reaches of space, drawn to the promise of a new beginning on Earth. But their dream will pit them against those desperately clinging to the old ways. And Jamie’s own journey home will help her close the distance between who she has become and who she is meant to be.

amazon

Pamela K. Kinney reviewed The Space Between the Stars here.

About the Author:

website-Instagram-twitter

Anne is originally from the north-east, but somehow slid down the map and finished up in the south-west. She now lives near Bath with her partner and three young sons.

Anne returned to writing in 2011 after many years working as a criminal lawyer in London. This was slightly unfortunate timing, given that she was right in the middle of relocating to Somerset with her family who seemed to feel that a little less novel-writing and a little more packing might be warranted. They probably had a point.

Over the next couple of years, Anne began to build a career as a freelance writer, fitting this work in around her day job as a solicitor. In 2012 she met her agent, Lisa Eveleigh, at the York Festival of Writing. Since then her work has been published in various magazines and anthologies and her short fiction has won, placed or been shortlisted in various national and international awards.

In 2014 Anne began an MA in Creative Writing at Bath Spa University. Her initial MA novel was put on hold after a trip back up to the Northumberland coast triggered the idea for The Space Between the Stars which was acquired by Pan Macmillan in January 2016. It is due out in hardback in Spring 2017.

Giveaway

a print copy of The Space Between the Stars

(US/Can only)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Berkley Bookmas celebration! + giveaway

I Smell Sheep is so excited to participate in Berkley Bookmas and we’re hosting Jayne Ann Krentz with her list of The New Lady Sleuths of Historical Mystery today!

Berkley Bookmas is chock full of exclusive content from authors like exclusive excerpts, deleted scenes, author recipes and more!

Check out the calendar of events below:

The New Lady Sleuths of Historical Mystery
By Jayne Ann Krentz

The female detective has been around for quite a while – think Agatha Christie – but it seems to me that we are watching the rise of a new genre: the lady sleuths of historical mystery and suspense.

These unusual and intrepid heroines are women of their eras – the stories are often set in the Regency or Victorian period – but they defy the conventions of their times which is, of course, what makes them so interesting.

These are not your traditional “puzzle” mysteries nor can they be labeled “cozies.” They are novels of intrigue and suspense featuring fully realized female characters with unique skill-sets who solve crimes, have dangerous adventures and, yes, sometimes get entangled in romantic relationships.

I’m having a fabulous time discovering new authors in this genre. If this sounds like something you might enjoy – or if you’ve got someone on your holiday gift list who loves historical suspense and mystery – below is a selection of titles that have come to my attention. I think they are excellent examples of the new lady sleuths of historical mystery and suspense.

A CURIOUS BEGINNING by DEANNA RAYBOURN:

The first title in the Veronica Speedwell novels. Set in Victorian England, the novels feature a delightfully outrageous heroine with an intriguing past who is a professional butterfly hunter and a fearless sleuth.

A STUDY IN SCARLET WOMEN by SHERRY THOMAS:

This series features a real twist on the Sherlock Holmes legend – meet the fascinating and very unique Charlotte Holmes.

BEAUTY LIKE THE NIGHT by JOANNA BOURNE:

A novel in Bourne’s terrific Spymaster series set against the backdrop of Napoleonic France and Regency England. Lush, elegant, well-researched and romantic.

DEATH BELOW STAIRS by JENNIFER ASHLEY:
Kat Holloway is a cook who takes a position in a Mayfair mansion and soon finds herself immersed in the odd household of Lord Rankin. Kat can deal with the family’s eccentricities as long as the various members of the clan stay away from her kitchen. But murder below stairs changes everything.

CITY OF LIES by VICTORIA THOMPSON:
The first in the A Counterfeit Lady series featuring Elizabeth Miles, a woman on the run. Here’s the setup: Elizabeth has some unusual skills and she uses them to relieve so-called respectable men of their ill-gotten gains. But she has recently outwitted a brutal man who has sent his thugs after her.

THE ANATOMIST’S WIFE by ANNA LEE HUBER:
Scotland, 1830. Following the death of her husband, Lady Darby has taken refuge at her sister's estate, finding solace in her passion for painting. But when her hosts throw a house party for the cream of London society, Kiera is unable to hide from the ire of those who believe her to be as unnatural as her husband, an anatomist who used her artistic talents to suit his own macabre purposes.

That’s my starter list. I’d love some more suggestions from you.

Got a title or author working in this new genre you’d like to recommend? 

Wishing you the best of the holidays and a sparkling New Year!

Sincerely,
Jayne

GIVEAWAY

One $100 Visa gift card, and a book/galley/bound manuscript by each of the authors participating. 

Enter giveaway: http://bit.ly/2zlFxAq

For tomorrow’s fun, head to one of the following blogs:

· Scandalicious Book Reviews

· Relentless Romance

· No BS Book Reviews

· Book Babes Unite

· Owl Always Be Reading

· The Eater of Books!

· GReads! 

Join the Instagram fun!

If you’re on Instagram, we invite you to participate in Berkley Bookmas’s “12 Days of Shipmas” challenge! In a nutshell, we’re celebrating our favorite ships on the ‘gram and you’re welcome to join the fun – the schedule is below!

The Ships:

12/1: I Will Go Down With This Ship = fave ship of all time

12/2: Paranormal Pairings = fave paranormal couple

12/3: Love Is Love = fave LGBTQ couple

12/4: Haters to Lovers = fave enemies-to-lovers couple

12/5: Game Baes = fave sports romance couples

12/ 6: Men in Uniform = fave couple with military/army/navy/etc. character

12/7: Angst on Angst on Angst = fave angstiest couple

12/ 8: 3’s Not A Crowd = fave ménage/poly pairings

12/ 9: Christian Bae Day = fave kinky couple

12/10: Heroes in History = fave historical romance couple

12/11: Biker Baes = fave MC romance couple

12/12: Hot Scots = fave Scottish heroes/heroines

Check out Jayne Ann Krentz's next release!

Promise Not to Tell

by Jayne Ann Krentz

January 2, 2018

336 pages

Publisher: Berkley

A broken promise reveals a terrifying legacy in this electrifying novel from the New York Times bestselling author of When All the Girls Have Gone.

A painter of fiery, nightmarish visions throws herself into the sea—but she’ll leave some of her secrets behind...

Seattle gallery owner Virginia Troy has spent years battling the demons that stem from her childhood time in a cult and the night a fire burned through the compound, killing her mother. And now one of her artists has taken her own life, but not before sending Virginia a last picture: a painting that makes Virginia doubt everything about the so-called suicide—and her own past.

Like Virginia, private investigator Cabot Sutter was one of the children in the cult who survived that fire...and only he can help her now. As they struggle to unravel the clues in the painting, it becomes clear that someone thinks Virginia knows more than she does and that she must be stopped. Thrown into an inferno of desire and deception, Virginia and Cabot draw ever closer to the mystery of their shared memories—and the shocking fate of the one man who still wields the power to destroy everything they hold dear.

amazon

About the Author:

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Jayne Ann Krentz is the author of more than fifty New York Times bestsellers, including the upcoming romantic thriller Promise Not to Tell. Jayne has written contemporary romantic suspense novels under that name, as well as historical and futuristic romance novels under the pseudonyms Amanda Quick and Jayne Castle, respectively. Learn more at jayneannkrentz.com and connect with her on facebook.com/JayneAnnKrentz.

Book Review: The Space Between the Stars by Anne Corlett

The Space Between the Stars

by Anne Corlett
June 13, 2017
Berkley- Penguin Group
368 pages

In a breathtakingly vivid and emotionally gripping debut novel, one woman must confront the emptiness in the universe—and in her own heart—when a devastating virus reduces most of humanity to dust and memories.

All Jamie Allenby ever wanted was space. Even though she wasn’t forced to emigrate from Earth, she willingly left the overpopulated, claustrophobic planet. And when a long relationship devolved into silence and suffocating sadness, she found work on a frontier world on the edges of civilization. Then the virus hit...

Now Jamie finds herself dreadfully alone, with all that’s left of the dead. Until a garbled message from Earth gives her hope that someone from her past might still be alive.

Soon Jamie finds other survivors, and their ragtag group will travel through the vast reaches of space, drawn to the promise of a new beginning on Earth. But their dream will pit them against those desperately clinging to the old ways. And Jamie’s own journey home will help her close the distance between who she has become and who she is meant to be.

amazon

Jamie Allenby has survived a deadly virus that spread through Earth and afterwards, through the colonized planets by humanity. Unlike most science fiction where people purposely traveled to settle other worlds, in this story most have been part of a forced emigration of so-called undesirables. Before the virus, Jamie had spent over thirteen years with her lover, Daniel, on one of the highly populated planetary outposts. After a miscarriage she leaves Daniel for the planet Solitaire, working as a veterinarian for a ranch. 

Once the virus spreads, only 0.0001% survive. Jamie craved solitude and wide-open spaces, but this was not exactly how she wanted to receive it. Longing for human companionship, she leaves the rural farm for the space dock. There she meets up with two additional survivors: a former priest, Lowry, and a woman scientist, Rena, on a spiritual retreat. These three are picked up by a cargo ship heading back to the larger planetary outpost of Alegria.

The ship is captained by Callan and his engineer, Gracie. The administration on Alegria refuses to allow anyone to leave and is enforcing a "breeding" program, since so many children were killed in the outbreak. She also runs into Daniel.

Jamie convinces Callan and her shipmates to make a break for Earth but they have no idea what awaits them there. Will they find any survivors? Will they be faced with a new administration trying to enforce rules for humanity's survival?

If you are looking for a science fiction/dystopian full of action, spaceship battles, aliens, etc…then this book may not be your cup of tea. There is a spaceship going through outer space, there are other planets, and it takes place in the future, with a virus obviously made to kill people so completely, there is only dust left. But this is a character driven story about survival during this form of near apocalypse, and how they might get their heads and souls set right to move forward with living.

Most of the characters have some sort of baggage. Except maybe Finn, the autistic teenager—I enjoyed him. The plot was well thought out. The world-building is moderately done, but could have used more explanation and detail. The tech aspect was too skimpy for me.  I admit, Jamie did not sit well with me. She uses being broken to push away others who could be good for her. The title fits what Jamie thinks she wants: space. Space between her and relationships, space between her and her past that made her who she was before and after the virus. Space also fits other characters in this book. Space in connection to God and religion too.

I give The Space Between the Stars 3 ½ sheep.

Pamela K. Kinney

About the Author:

website-Instagram-twitter

Anne is originally from the north-east, but somehow slid down the map and finished up in the south-west. She now lives near Bath with her partner and three young sons.

Anne returned to writing in 2011 after many years working as a criminal lawyer in London. This was slightly unfortunate timing, given that she was right in the middle of relocating to Somerset with her family who seemed to feel that a little less novel-writing and a little more packing might be warranted. They probably had a point.

Over the next couple of years Anne began to build a career as a freelance writer, fitting this work in around her day job as a solicitor. In 2012 she met her agent, Lisa Eveleigh, at the York Festival of Writing. Since then her work has been published in various magazines and anthologies and her short fiction has won, placed or been shortlisted in various national and international awards.

In 2014 Anne began an MA in Creative Writing at Bath Spa University. Her initial MA novel was put on hold after a trip back up to the Northumberland coast triggered the idea for The Space Between the Stars which was acquired by Pan Macmillan in January 2016. It is due out in hardback in Spring 2017.

Book Review: Midnight Target (Killer Instincts #8) by Elle Kennedy

Midnight Target (Killer Instincts #8)

by Elle Kennedy
April 25th 2017
by Berkley Books

Paperback, 384 pages

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Score and Midnight Revenge...

Four years ago, Cate’s entire life changed when she discovered she was the daughter of a supersoldier. But Jim Morgan’s overprotectiveness has pushed her away. These days, she’s working as a freelance photographer and living the dangerous life Jim never wanted for her.

When Cate snaps a photo linking a corrupt South American politician with the leader of a notorious drug cartel, her mercenary father leads a team to rescue her—only to get shot and critically wounded in the process.

As Morgan’s operatives rally together on a revenge mission, they’re faced with new alliances and old heartaches. Cate is forced to work with David “Ash” Ashton, the man who broke her heart two years ago, while Liam Macgregor and Sullivan Port resurface after years apart to finally try to deal with everything they’d left unsaid.

Soon it’s all-out war between the cartel and the mercenaries—with two couples caught in the middle of the blood feud. Love and redemption are within their reach...but first they have to make it home alive.

amazon

link to whole series

I just want everyone to know that as I was writing this review I was listening to the to all four Transformers film scores. Because that’s how I roll and the music has always suited this series. Also, this is the longest book in the series so there’s a lot to cover in my review but I’ll try and keep the gushing to a minimum.

Midnight Target takes place four years after the previous book and super soldier Jim Morgan’s daughter Cate is all grown up and working as a freelance photographer. And getting a crash course introduction to the life her father never wanted for her. When she snaps a photo that links a South American politician with the leader of a notorious drug cartel, Cate immediately becomes a target and Jim leads a team to get her out of the country alive but he’s shot and critically wounded in the process. Now the team bands together to seek revenge as old faces resurface to help, including Liam MacGregor and Sullivan Port who have unfinished business with each other. Meanwhile Cate is forced to work with David “Ash” Ashton who broke her heart two years before and still wants to protect her as if she were incapable of doing it on her own.

Bottom Line: It’s all out war in Midnight Target with the team facing down a powerful cartel all while dealing with overdue personal matters.

I’m always excited when a new Killer Instincts book is coming out but never have I looked at a book with a mixture of awe and dread. Awe because no one writes romantic suspense like Elle Kennedy, and dread because this will be the last time I see these characters in a new adventure. Midnight Target is the final book in a series that combines high stakes action with red hot romance.

Kennedy is THE highest standard for romantic suspense in my opinion. Not only are her stories to die for but her heroines are the absolute best in RS. These women are no weeping willows who are happy to hand their problems over to a big strong man. These women kick a** and don’t bother taking names. I want heroines who can fight their own battles but at the same time show their vulnerable sides without making them seem like they’re weak for being vulnerable and I want heroes who respect their skills enough to see them as equals and to be confident having these women watching their backs. That’s exactly what Kennedy gives her readers and it’s the biggest reason I’m going to miss this series so much.

That said, Cate had me a little nervous at first because she’s not a trained assassin like Noelle and her girls or a mercenary like her father and his men but she sure did get a lot of lessons from both sides in the four years since she came to live with them and it showed. She carried her weight, fought, and contributed to the team like she had been with them all her life but she didn’t have the hardened, jaded soul of the men and women surrounding her larger than life father which put a different spin on this story. Cate brought a little bit of an innocent vibe to the plot because of her sheltered background and I understood why everyone BUT Noelle, Cate’s stepmother, wanted to continue protecting her. At the same time though I totally got why that infuriated Cate and why she had to distance herself from her father and even Ash. To me, Midnight Target was Cate’s coming of age story but you know, with guns, death, and violence. She and Ash had a lot of chemistry that actually started way back when Cate was still a teenager and had just found her father and I loved how much these two characters had grown since then. The tension between them was incredible and their story sort of paralleled that of Cate’s father and stepmother. As far as being what I was hoping, these two aced my expectations.

But while Cate and Ash take center stage in Midnight Target, there is another story that has been years in the making, Elle Kennedy finally brings Liam McGregor and Sullivan Port face to face after two years apart and forces these two to deal with the events of previous books and the tense attraction between the two best friends. I have a soft spot for both characters because they were so close for most of the series until a shared kiss made them reevaluate their lives. I loved how Kennedy didn’t make it easy for these two to figure out just what was going on between them. Liam comes from a traditional Irish family which presented a huge obstacle for him and Sully had a tragic history that made him reluctant to be anything other than a playboy. Their story was very emotional and I’m not ashamed to say I shed a few tears for these two.

There has always been an element of danger and unpredictability in this series but never more so than with this last book. These characters aren’t invincible and they’re far from perfect which balances out how dangerous they are. Midnight Target really brought their mortality to the spotlight and put every single character in an emotionally vulnerable position. For characters that have made their living out of putting themselves in life or death situations with smiles on their faces this was a huge difference. The odds were really stacked against this team that prior to this book always seemed unbeatable. It seemed fitting to me that the author put them through the ringer and had them come out on top but not without a cost.

Overall, Midnight Target gave these characters an unforgettable sendoff, the plot was edge-of-your-seat addictive, the characters raw and emotional, and the romance was off the charts good. My only real complaint aside from the fact that this is the last book is that there was a lot kind of jammed into this book. Cate and Ash, Cate’s deteriorating relationship with her father, Liam and Sully, the cartel, old friends with new problems, etc and I felt it could have been better handled in two books rather than one long one. Cate’s relationship with her father wasn’t exactly fixed by the end and I would have liked it to be because despite his faults, Jim Morgan was a good father who needed to develop a new relationship with his adult daughter instead of always picturing her as a little lost girl. But even with that complaint Midnight Target was still a solid winner. Elle Kennedy’s characters tore me apart, broke my heart, and then put me back together again in a way only they can. I really am going to miss this series and I doubt anything could ever compare to it.

Sheep Rating: 4 crying sheep.

Adria Reyes

About the Author:
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A New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author, Elle Kennedy grew up in the suburbs of Toronto, Ontario, and holds a B.A. in English from York University. From an early age, she knew she wanted to be a writer, and actively began pursuing that dream when she was a teenager.

Elle writes romantic suspense and erotic contemporary romance for various publishers. She loves strong heroines and sexy alpha heroes, and just enough heat and danger to keep things interesting!

Book Review: Dominated (The Enforcers #2) by Maya Banks

Dominated (The Enforcers #2)
by Maya Banks

May 3rd 2016 by Berkley

Paperback, 352 pages

The desire that exploded in Mastered continues its conflagration in Dominated—from the New York Times bestselling author of the Surrender Trilogy.

To save her, he had to betray her...

In Drake’s shadowy world, his enemies would exploit any weakness he had in order to bring him to his knees, and so he’s never allowed himself to care about anyone...never exhibited any vulnerability, and it made him a force to be reckoned with. Until Evangeline—his angel. A woman who slipped past his defenses like no one had ever managed. She was his to protect and ultimately, to do that, he had to do the unthinkable and drive the only good thing in his world away.

But he will stop at nothing to get her back...

Devastated and destroyed, Evangeline doesn’t know what made Drake turn on her in such a shocking manner. She only knows she’ll never be the same. He once freed her from all her inhibitions, only now she is a prisoner to never-ending pain. But when Drake finds her again, she realizes there is more to his world than she ever imagined, and she must decide if she can once more trust—and submit—to the man who holds her wounded heart in his hands. And he must convince her of just how far he’ll go to regain her love and forgiveness.

The story picked right up where book one ended. Drake devastated by what he had to do to Evangeline to protect her and Evangeline utterly destroyed by what Drake did to her. Evangeline was his weakness, he got where he is today for the fact he had no weaknesses, no vulnerability. He normally did not care about anything;  he was ruthless. Evangeline, however, changed all that and if his enemies got wind of her it was over. She would be dead or worse. She and only she could bring him down to his knees. On his knees is exactly where he intended to be for her to forgive him. Lucky for him she did forgive him, only for him to do something really stupid again and I mean stupid, come on! This time he really put her in danger and left her in the dust. Even his men couldn’t believe it.

Romance at its best, I enjoyed that aspect. As I stated in book one, you have these hardcore men living a very dangerous life but that really was not brought in the picture until the end. The idea was you knew danger lurked but it did not really surface. The action was really around the romantic drama and their trust in each other not just with Drake but with his men too. At times I thought the love trust with his men and Evangeline were a little over the top but Banks made me believe when she layered on the family aspect of it in each and every one of them, what they meant to her and her to them.

All in all it was fun and interesting with some hot steamy scenes.

Review: Mastered (The Enforcers #1)

4 Naïve Sheep

Tammy Kostecki

About the Author:

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I live in Texas with my husband and three children and our assortment of pets. I’m more of a cat person, but my daughter became convinced she NEEDED a dog.

When I’m not writing, I love to hunt and fish with my family. We all love the outdoors and go on family hunting trips every year. We also love to travel.

Perhaps the most rewarding aspect of a writing career is getting to meet so many wonderful readers. There’s nothing better than dishing books with someone who loves the romance genre as much as I do. Romance readers are passionate and vocal. We love our books, love our happily ever afters, and we love to spend time talking to others about our favorites. THIS is why I love my job so much, and I’m so grateful to readers who gave ME a chance when I began my career. So thank you.

Book Review: Finding Fraser by KC Dyer

Finding Fraser

by KC Dyer
May 1st 2016

by Berkley Books
Pages: 388
I met Jamie Fraser when I was nineteen years old. He was tall, red-headed, and at our first meeting at least, a virgin. He was, in fact, the perfect man.
That he was fictional hardly entered into it...

On the cusp of thirty, Emma Sheridan is desperately in need of a change. After a string of failed relationships, she can admit that no man has ever lived up to her idea of perfection: the Scottish fictional star of romantic fantasies the world over—James Alexander Malcolm MacKenzie Fraser.

Her ideal man might be ripped from the pages of a book, but Emma hopes that by making one life-altering decision she might be able to turn fiction into fact. After selling all her worldly possessions, Emma takes off for Scotland with nothing but her burgeoning travel blog to confide in.

But as she scours the country’s rolling green hills and crumbling castles, Emma discovers that in searching for her own Jamie Fraser, she just might find herself.

This is the first book I've read by KC Dyer and I found that I really liked her writing style. I was disappointed that Jack Findlay was not a real author or the books Dragon Thane. Though I speculate that the character's name could be based on Jack Whyte, a British Columbia author that she discusses in the back of the book. I figured since this story was based on a real book and character from another author that this fact would be too. I also didn't realize until reading this book that some of the locations in the Outlander books were not real. I'm not sure why I thought all the locations were based on actual places but I did. 

Emma Sheridian needs a change in her life so she decides that she is gong to head to Scotland and find her one true love, her own Jamie Fraser from her favorite Outlander book by Diana Gabaldon. If you haven't read the Outlander book you can still enjoy this story but for you Outlander fans it was fun and worth the read. Full of quirky comedy and disasters; I was definitely not disappointed that I gave his author a try. 

Getting 4 ½ sheep

Denise B

About the Author:

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KC Dyer resides in the wilds of British Columbia in the company of an assortment of mammals, some of them human. She likes to walk in the woods and write books.

Her most recent novel—an Amazon #1 Bestseller in romantic comedy for grown-ups—is FINDING FRASER, first published in 2015, with a new Berkley edition slated for release in May, 2016 . For teens, kc’s most recent work is FACING FIRE, a sequel to the acclaimed novel, A WALK THROUGH A WINDOW, published by Doubleday/Random House. kc is represented by Laura Bradford of Bradford Literary Agency.

Book Review: All of Me (Covington Cove #2) by Kelly Moran

All of Me (Covington Cove #2)
by Kelly Moran

Paperback, 304 pages
September 1st 2015 by Berkley

A “fantastic”* new romance from the author of Return to Me and "one of the top 10 reads of 2013"

For ten months, bestselling novelist Alec Winston hasn’t been able to type a single word, and he’s coming dangerously close to breaching his publishing contract. An invitation from his brother to spend the summer in Wilmington Beach might be just the thing to blast through his writer’s block. Yet Alec discovers more than a spark of inspiration on the sunny sands. He meets an amber-eyed muse who makes him think about much more than books . . .

Faith Armstrong has finally gathered the courage to leave her past behind and accepted a job as a private tutor, hoping for a fresh start on the North Carolina coast. This is the home she’s always longed for—not just a place, but a state of mind. She’s felt invisible her whole life, so the host of new friends and the attention of a sexy author have her head spinning.

But Alec has a secret that could prove this isn’t the life Faith dreamed of after all . . .

"Fun, emotional, and totally engaging!"
~CARLA NEGGERS, New York Times Bestselling Author

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It's not often I read a straight fang-free romance story nowadays, BUT once in a while I stick my neck out and see what the humans are up to. All of Meis the second book in this Conington Cove series and while I didn't read the first story, I certainly did not feel lost at all. The author does a good job of getting the reader up to date on all the happenings.

This is a soft heartened romance read for those that love a love story. Readers who like a stationary romance that has more emotional layers and characters with pasts who need mending. There is no action at all, no one out to kill or plot against anyone else. There is nothing for the "bang bang shot'em up" enthusiasts (like myself). So for a sappy love story alone, this one was okay in my opinion.

I'm not typically into these types of dramas, but I did find myself getting invested in the charters. There dialog and angst buildup kept me turning the pages to see what happened next. Well written and thoroughly planned out, truly made them feel more lifelike. Would I have enjoyed a pack of weres coming into the scene and biting everyone? Sure, but even though that didn't happen I still ended up liking the story overall.

If you're into romance, minus the vamps, you'll probably enjoy this one much more then myself. But saying that, there was enough for even the PNR lover to sink their holstered fangs into.

Getting 3 and 1/2 Sheep 

KD

About the Author:
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Kelly Moran is a romance author of enchanting ever-afters. No one who knows her bats an eyelash when she talks to herself. She is a Catherine Award-Winner, Readers Choice Finalist, and a Finalist in RWA's 2014 Award of Excellence. She earned one of the 10 Best Reads by USA TODAY's HEA. Kelly's interests include: sappy movies, MLB, NFL, driving others insane, and sleeping when she can. She is a closet caffeine junkie and chocoholic, but don't tell anyone. She resides in Wisconsin with her husband, three sons, and her black lab. Most of her family lives in the Carolinas, so she spends a lot of time there as well.

Spotlight: SCANDAL NEVER SLEEPS by Shayla Black and Lexi Blake + giveaway

 SCANDAL NEVER SLEEPS
The Perfect Gentlemen, Book 1
by Shayla Black and Lexi Blake
Coming August 18, 2015
They are the Perfect Gentlemen of Creighton Academy: privileged, wealthy, powerful friends with a wild side. But a deadly scandal is about to tear down their seemingly ideal lives...

Maddox Crawford’s sudden death sends Gabriel Bond reeling. Not only is he burying his best friend, he’s cleaning up Mad’s messes, including his troubled company. Grieving and restless, Gabe escapes his worries in the arms of a beautiful stranger. But his mind-blowing one-night stand is about to come back to haunt him...

Mad groomed Everly Parker to be a rising star in the executive world. Now that he’s gone, she’s sure her job will be the next thing she mourns, especially after she ends up accidentally sleeping with her new boss. If only their night together hadn’t been so incendiary—or Gabe like a fantasy come true...

As Gabe and Everly struggle to control the heated tension between them, they discover evidence that Mad’s death was no accident. Now they must bank their smoldering passions to hunt down a murderer—because Mad had secrets that someone was willing to kill for, and Gabe or Everly could be the next target...

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“What are your plans tonight, Eve?”

That was a loaded question. Her current plan included going to a lonely apartment where she could worry about her future and try to figure out if someone had murdered her friend. She could be alone with her fear and doubt . . . but she didn’t really want to. “I was getting ready to leave. What about you?”

“So was I. I thought I’d get some dinner before I called it a night. I don’t think the food here is going to be any good. Giovanni’s is one block over. Italian might be nice. I can promise you won’t have any trouble getting a glass of wine there.”

“You’re asking me out?” It was a little surreal. She saw much more attractive women still in the bar. Why had he chosen her? Maybe he liked a curvier girl. Some guys did.

His face settled into a polite mask. “I don’t know that I would call it a date.”

“What would you call it, then?”

He stepped closer, into her personal space. “Eve, I want to be honest with you.”

Eve. She wasn’t Everly to Gabriel. Which meant that he didn’t expect her to be a good, polite girl. She didn’t have to be shy about what she wanted.

She stood a bit taller and met his beautiful blue eyes. She could see the five‑o’clock shadow darkening his jaw and wondered what it would feel like to brush her fingertips over his face, to run her thumb across that full bottom lip of his. “Honesty is good.”

She wasn’t being entirely honest with him, but it didn’t matter. They were sharing a moment out of time. She wouldn’t see him again. She didn’t even know his last name.

“I’m looking for an escape tonight. I can find it in the bottom of a bottle or I can take you out of here and try to make us both feel good. Why don’t you let me buy you dinner and plead my case?”

He was asking her to sleep with him. A one-night stand. She’d never had one. She’d slept with two men in her whole life, and they’d both been her boyfriends. Sex had been all right, but something about the look in Gabriel’s eyes told her this would be far better.

He wanted to escape. She wasn’t sure from what, but she glimpsed a world of worries and sorrow in his expression that drew her. She understood loss and longing. She knew what it meant to need a few hours of escape. Hadn’t she been wanting that herself?

A single memory pierced her in that moment. Two days before he died, Maddox had shaken his head over her nonexistent dating life. He’d tried to persuade her to let him set her up on a blind date, but she’d said she didn’t have time. She’d needed to get some reports done and go through the purchase orders on the new hard drives and security systems. He’d rolled those piercing eyes of his.

You need to live a little. Your whole life can’t be spent behind a computer screen. Life is often about taking risks. Sometimes you have to leave yourself to figure out who you really are.

She didn’t have to be herself. Not tonight.

“Kiss me.” The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them. She was never bold or brazen when it came to men. She’d never demanded anything sexually of a lover, but she wanted Gabriel to kiss her. She wanted to see if that spark she felt translated to something truly physical.

She expected some discussion, and when he hesitated, she was more than willing to admit that she’d been hasty. Everly was about to shake her head and try to laugh the incident off when he cupped her face and his body brushed hers. He tilted her head up and his mouth descended.

Soft. His lips were soft on hers. Gentle. He moved with predatory grace. His fingers sank into her hair, and her hands seemed to naturally find the lean muscles at his waist. Even through his crisp dress shirt, she could feel the heat of his body. It practically poured off him and into her, warming her skin and making her come to life.

He was gentle, but Everly knew precisely who was in charge. His lips locked onto hers, leading her. A little tug on her hair told her which way he wanted her to move.

Everything about him—scent,taste, feel—made her melt. She forgot where she was, forgot that they were in public. The noise of the bar receded until all she could hear was her own heart beating furiously in her ears. Nothing mattered at all but the feel of his body under her hands, the masterful way he moved her.

“Is that what you wanted, Eve?” He breathed the words against her mouth. “You wanted to see if I can kiss? I can give you more. I don’t simply want to kiss your lips. I want to strip you down and find out if you’re as sweet and soft everywhere as you look. I want to run my tongue over your skin until I memorize how you taste. I want to kiss you so long and hard that you’ll forget you were ever kissed before.” He lifted his head up and dragged in a breath. “So what do you say? Will you have dinner with me?”

She swallowed. His words made everything but her need fall away. “It’s not dinner I’m interested in anymore.”

* * * *
Posted by arrangement with Berkley Books, a member of Penguin Group (USA) LLC, A Penguin Random House Company. Copyright © Shelley Bradley, LLC and DLZ Entertainment LLC, 2015.

Shayla Black is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than forty sizzling contemporary, erotic, paranormal and historical romances. Shayla has received or been nominated for the Passionate Plume, the Holt Medallion, Colorado Romance Writers Award of Excellence and the National Readers Choice Award. She lives in Texas with her family. Visit her online at shaylablack.com, facebook.com/ShaylaBlackAuthor

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Lexi Blake began writing at a young age, concentrating on plays and journalism. It wasn’t until she started writing romance that she found success. Lexi lives in North Texas with her family. Visit her online at LexiBlack.net.
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