End Game ~ Review

End Game 
Capital Intrigue #1
By Rachel Dylan

When FBI Special Agent Bailey Ryan gets a late-night call she never expected that she would be working a case in partnership with NCIS. But the murder of a civilian and a Navy SEAL with the same apparent MO has them working against the clock in case they have a serial or spree killer operating in the DC area.

NCIS Special Agent Marco Agostini isn't keen on the idea of having to work with the FBI but Bailey Ryan seems more than willing to play nice in the joint investigation. And with her legal background, she brings more attention to the paper detail than his fieldwork tendencies normally allow.

As evidence becomes available it seemingly points to another Navy SEAL as the murderer. But his JAG lawyer isn't convinced by the evidence. Bailey and Marco aren't willing to close the case just yet but the evidence is damaging.

When more people begin dying and someone targets the joint investigative team, Bailey, Marco and the rest of the team suspect something bigger is going on. But without the evidence to point them where to look next, they are running out of time and potential suspects.

End Game is the first book in the Capital Intrigue series and it continually adds layers to the story as each clue, piece of evidence and attack brings the danger closer to home.  If you love suspense that doesn't give away its secrets early on in the book this is one you will want to pick up. There are plenty of potential traitors or people hiding something but does it have any bearing on their case? These are the questions that they have to figure out.

This book is definitely in the stay-up-all-night page-turner category so give yourself plenty of time because you won't want to put this one down once you pick it up. The characters are a good blend and work well together and have an on-page presence that doesn't feel forced or thrown together. These are people that you could meet in your day-to-day life and connect with. The pacing is good with no dragging. I would most definitely want to revisit any of these characters in future books. This is a good series debut that doesn't leave you hanging as the story is complete in itself.

I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book with no expectations but that I provide my honest opinion - all thoughts expressed are my own.
 

About the Book:
When elite members of the military are murdered on the streets of Washington, DC, FBI Special Agent Bailey Ryan and NCIS Special Agent Marco Agostini must work together to bring the perpetrator to justice. Unfortunately, all evidence points to a Navy SEAL sniper whom Bailey refuses to believe is guilty.

When Bailey and Marco start to connect the dots between the victims, including a link to a powerful defense contractor, they wonder if there's a deeper cover-up at play. Then Bailey is targeted, and it becomes clear that someone is willing to kill to keep their dark secrets.

With the stakes getting higher by the moment in a twisted conspiracy, there's a rush against the clock to determine whom they can really trust. As allies turn to enemies, the biggest secret yet to be uncovered could be the end of all of them.

The Way of the Brave ~ Review

The Way of the Brave
Global Search and Rescue #1
By Susan May Warren

Orion Starr is angry and he lays the blame squarely on God - everyone he's ever cared about has been taken from him. And his last mission ended his career and left members of his team damaged or lost. He's hidden himself away in Alaska in the shadow of Denali. But Hamilton (Ham) Jones is determined to recruit him to rescue team and he is in Alaska to pitch his company one more time.

Jenny Calhoun has been living with guilt about how the mission in Afghanistan went so wrong and she squarely puts the blame on herself and her faulty assessment of their asset. Orion and his team paid the price for her mistake. She wants to forget her past but she just can't. And when she and her friends Aria and Sasha set out to conquer Denali she had no idea just how quickly everything would go wrong.

Orion is convinced that Jenny is the woman he fell in love with in Afghanistan just before everything went wrong. She disappeared from his life and he hasn't seen her since. But this woman doesn't seem to know him but he can't get her out of his mind and when she and her climbing group go missing Orion has to search for her. But Denali is an unpredictable presence that can turn deadly in mere moments and time is against them.

The Way of the Brave is the first book in a new series and it brings the action to the reader in a most impressive way. All the main characters are hurting and dealing with it in different ways - for some their secret pains are revealed but not all (this is after all this is the first book in the series). There is a political thread that runs through this story that those who have read the author's previous series (Montana Marshalls) will be familiar with. Senator Isaac White is running for President and he has connections that Orion and Ham need to learn about a missing former teammate, They have a man who may be in trouble and they need White's help to be on the QT as there are concerns about a rogue government element being involved. So if you like an edge of your seat quality to your reading with a double dose of romance, some intrigue and a whole mess of secrets you will most likely be in anxious wait for what happens next.

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book with no expectations but that I provide my honest opinion - all thoughts expressed are my own.


About the Book:

Former pararescue jumper Orion Starr is haunted by the memory of a rescue gone wrong. He may be living alone in Alaska now, but the pain of his failure–and his injuries–has followed him there from Afghanistan. He has no desire to join Hamilton Jones’s elite rescue team, but he also can’t shirk his duty when the call comes in to rescue three lost climbers on Denali.

Former CIA profiler and psychiatrist Jenny Calhoun’s yearly extreme challenge with her best friends is her only escape from the guilt that has sunk its claws into her. As a consultant during a top-secret mission to root out the Taliban, she green-lighted an operation that ended in ambush and lives lost. When her cathartic climb on Denali turns deadly, she’ll be forced to trust her life and the lives of her friends to the most dangerous of heroes–the man she nearly killed.

Orion and Jenny will have to put their wounds behind them to save their friends...and their hearts.

Ruby Jane ~ Review

Ruby Jane
Montana Marshalls #5
By Sasan May Warren

Ruby Jane is the conclusion to the 5-book Marshall family saga. The previous book Ford left us with York Newgate being taken away by the CIA and her missing boss murdered. Everyone believes that York died in a fiery car crash but RJ can't accept that the man she loved is dead - she alone believes that he is still alive. But why he hasn't reached out to her has her worried. And even more troubling why was her boss Sophia Randall murdered and just how does it tie into RJ's nearly fatal trip to Russia?

Mack Jones has no idea where he came from or how he ended up in the rough shape he is in. He just knows he needs to stay under the radar of the local PD. He feels that something in his past isn't all it should be and that he may not be a good person. His new employer offers him a place to start over and hope that a new beginning is possible. But Mack has something lurking in the back of his mind something that scares him. But when Mack becomes a hero he is about to come face-to-face with his past and if he doesn't remember who he is the danger that has been hunting him may find him yet again.

Ruby Jane is surprised when she catches an interview of some she is sure is York. Determined to discover what happened she is more than a little surprised when the man she was sure was York doesn't seem to recognize her and in fact, seems to be well established in the small town she finds herself in. Is this lumberjack like man York or is it the twin everyone is supposed to have? And if this is York does she have the right to destroy his chance at a fresh start - a life without the guilt and pain of the past?

As all the storylines from the series begin to come together it soon becomes apparent that someone may not survive - the question is whether or not one of the Marshall siblings will be among the fallen. Now if you have not yet read the previous 4 Montana Marshall books it is an absolute must as they must be read in order before taking on Ruby Jane. Each builds upon the previous title. An assassination attempt. A bombing. An attack. Election meddling. The Russian mafia. A fire. A kidnapping. A traitor. And a family smack dab in the middle of everything.

The trip to the climax will leave you on the edge of your seat as it unfolds. And be prepared for anything it may be the only way that you'll survive.

I received a complimentary copy of this book with no expectations but that I offer my honest opinion - all thoughts expressed are my own.


About the Book:

She loved...and lost.

Ruby Jane never thought she'd meet the man of her dreams while running from the police in Russia. That he'd steal her heart on a train to Siberia. But loving a former CIA officer comes with a price...a life of danger. A life of high stakes.

A life where he simply disappears...

He has no memory of the man he was.

Mack Jones has no memory of his past...just the dark sense that he is hiding. And, he wants to stay that way. Mack likes the life he's built in a small tourist town, tucked away beyond the mountains, and has no desire to dig around in the gray areas of his memory.

When his place of business catches fire and Mack rescues the owner, he makes the news, which of course alerts the past he's hoping to outrun.

The only person who can help him is a mysterious woman he doesn't remember.

But a woman he desperately needs.

The surprising, thrilling conclusion to the Montana Marshall series.

The Russian Defector ~ Review

The Russian Defector
Justin Hall #15
By Ethan Jones

To sum this book up in one sentence - Great reading spy suspense that will keep you turning the page from the first page!

Justin Hall finds himself dealing with the after-effects of his latest injury while having to deal with a possible Russian Defector. There is just one problem Justin isn't sure their defector is all that he seems. But proving which way the man leans is a little more difficult than one would think.

Acting on intelligence that they are provided with, Justin along with his longtime partner Carrie and an unknown team are dispatched into Chechnya to neutralize a lost nuclear weapon. But there is a traitor who is determined to interfere and taking out Justin, Carrie, and their team.

If you like clean reading suspense you will LOVE this newest addition from Ethan Jones. 

Spoiler to read what it is use your mouse to highlight between the * below. It is a spoiler that doesn't really reveal much but if you are like me you like the unexpected to not be revealed.

** If you have read any of Ethan's other series you may have a character from one of them make an appearance in this book! **


I received a complimentary copy of this book with no expectations but that I offer my honest opinion. All thoughts expressed are my own.

About the Book:
Is he a Russian defector or a double agent?

A bloodied Russian SRV operative crawls through the front doors of the Canadian embassy in Helsinki...

A Russian dissident is tapped for elimination...

An intercontinental ballistic missile disappears in Russia and surfaces in Ukraine...

What ties these events together? Can CIS spymaster Justin Hall trust the Russian defector and keep Europe from descending into an all-out war?

On Wings of Devotion ~ Review

On Wings of Devotion
The Codebreakers #2
By Roseanne M. White

Major Phillip Camden should have died that day - if he had he wouldn't have to live with the guilt or the nightmares. And he wouldn't be known to all of England as that traitor Black Heart. But live he did and now he finds himself not in the prison cell he expected to live out his few remaining days but rather in service to the Admiralty's codebreaking division. He tries to avoid everyone and any possibility of friendship or attachments - he doesn't deserve any.

When Camden's sister Cassandra gets herself into a situation he must use his persuasive charms (some of which are less than charming) to help her out. But first, he needs to convince Arabelle Denler to break off her engagement.

Arabelle, or Ara to those who know her best, is doing her bit for king and country as a nurse caring for soldiers who have come back injured in the war. The work is hard and heartbreaking but she feels called to help the hurting to heal. As she obverses the Black Heart as he goes by the hospital where she works she sees not the villain he has been labeled but rather a man hurting and in need of God. What she never expected was actually meet him, having her own dreams destroyed in the process, and starting an acquaintance that would have the most unexpected results.

Ara knows no man would ever look twice at her and her only attraction is her fortune. When Phillip Camden begins to escort her home she is at a loss as to reason until he admits to his guilt at the situation she is soon to find herself in - with her fortune and the potential, it will offer to gentlemen in need of capital being the draw. She wants nothing to do with Camden's plan but he is just as stubborn as she is and she feels that he needs to do this.

What neither Ara or Camden know is that someone is working against him and he is about to become the means to their goal - a goal that could severely cripple England and allow Germany to obtain the upper hand in the war. Will the codebreakers of Room 40 uncover the truth before it is too late?

On Wings of Devotion is a fantastic sequel to The Number of Love. And those who have followed Roseanna M. White's previous series will be delighted to have some of them make an appearance in this book. The book is most definitely one you won't want to put down once you start reading so set aside a weekend or a long afternoon and read away - you won't regret it. I read this last night when I got the mail at 6:30 pm and stayed up until the wee hours of the morning (4:30 am) because for some reason the "just one more chapter" promise to myself was too easily broken when the end of the said chapter came.

This book is Historical Romance Fiction and is set in England during the early months of 1918. The war is the backdrop throughout as it is an ever-present threat affecting the lives of all who live beneath its shadow. The characters are well developed and easy to click with. Even though this is the second book of the series it can easily be read as a stand-alone, though once you've read it you will want to read the first book. An altogether lovely book that I highly recommend adding to your home as you'll want to reread this one.

I received a complimentary copy of this book via the publisher with no expectations but that I provide my honest opinion - all thoughts expressed are my own.


About the Book:

Against Every Warning,

She’s Drawn Ever Closer to 

the Man Known as “Black Heart”

All of England thinks Major Phillip Camden a monster–a man who deliberately caused the deaths of his squadron. But he would have preferred to die that day with his men rather than be recruited to the Admiralty’s codebreaking division. The threats he receives daily are no great surprise and, in his opinion, well deserved.

As nurse Arabelle Denler observes the so-dubbed “Black Heart,” she sees something far different: a hurting man desperate for mercy. And when their families and paths twist together unexpectedly, she realizes she has a role to play in his healing–and some of her own to do as well.

With Camden’s court-martial looming, an old acquaintance shows up, intent on using him in a plot that sends the codebreakers of Room 40 into a frenzy. With their fragile hopes for the future in the crosshairs, Arabelle and Camden must hold on to hope–and to each other–if they want to survive.

Available for Purchase at:

Signed copy from Roseanna's website  | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Christian Book 

About the Author:

Roseanna M. White is a bestselling, Christy Award nominated author who has long claimed that words are the air she breathes. When not writing fiction, she’s homeschooling her two kids, editing, designing book covers, and pretending her house will clean itself. 

Roseanna is the author of a slew of historical novels that span several continents and thousands of years. Spies and war and mayhem always seem to find their way into her books…to offset her real life, which is blessedly ordinary. 

You can learn more about her and her stories at: 

www.RoseannaMWhite.com.

You can also connect with her online at: 

Blog | Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram | Twitter |

Collateral Damage ~ Review

Collateral Damage
Danger Never Sleeps #1
By Lynette Eason

A missed appointment, a traitor in their midst, a deadly attack, and nightmares that won't stop. Brooke Adams wants to stay as far away from everything that will remind her of her time in Afghanistan. And she won't see former military personnel in her private practice psychiatric duties. But when pictures from the worst day of her life are published she soon finds her path crossing with Asher James, former Army Special Ops.

Asher needs to talk to someone who understands, someone who has been where he's been and he's fairly certain Brooke will get it. But when he shows up for his appointment with Brooke something is very wrong. Brooke's office has been trashed and there is a murdered woman in it.

All too soon it becomes obvious that someone is targetting Brooke and it somehow seems to be related to her time in Afghanistan. But what exactly is something she and Asher will have to determine and soon.

FBI Special Agent Caden Denning is working a case that could have far-reaching repercussions - a secluded location that has been being used as a mass gravesite. But when he gets a call from his sister that he needs to warn Brooke that she is in danger he gets pulled into the situation with Asher and Brooke. Meanwhile, his sister Sarah knows that she has stumbled on to the story of a lifetime - she just needs to be sure no one realizes just what she is up to.

As each case races towards a potentially dangerous conclusion unexpected twists make this a page-turner you won't be able to put down. The book quickly draws one in and doesn't let go. The characters are quickly introduced and seemingly well-developed almost immediately so that the story progresses at a quick pace with no bogging down in attempting to create a rapport with the characters. And the conclusion lets just say WOW! Not quite what I was expecting and the way everything came together just made for excellent reading.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher with no expectations but that I provide my honest opinion, All thoughts expressed are my own.


About the Book:

They thought they left the fight behind on

the battlefield. But their greatest struggles

are just beginning.

Honorably discharged from the Army after an explosion nearly killed her, former military psychiatrist Brooke Adams has set up shop to help others--but her days of helping military personnel are over. She's got her own battles to fight from her time overseas, and she's not equipped to take on more. Former Army Special Ops Sergeant First Class Asher James could handle anything that war sent his way--terrorists, bombs, bullets. The only thing that scares him now is sleep. As the shadows close in, the nightmares begin.

Finally convinced that he needs help, Asher makes an appointment with a counselor, and Brooke is pressed by her boss to take him on. When he arrives at her office she isn't there--but a dead body is. Brooke is devastated when she walks in, and Asher is a conveniently strong shoulder to cry on. But she can't take him on as a client after sharing such an intimate and unprofessional moment, can she? And he's not sure he can handle sharing his deepest fears with such a beautiful woman.

When it becomes clear that Brooke was the real target of the attack--and that her secrets go even deeper than his own--Asher vows to protect her no matter what.

Bestselling author Lynette Eason is back with a new series that spans the globe and will have your heart working overtime.

Seconds to Live ~ Review

Seconds to Live
Homeland Heroes #1
By Susan Sleeman

A cybercriminal has compromised the U.S. Marshals database of persons who are in their Witness Protection Program (WITSEC) and the data is available for purchase. With time running against them RED Team is assigned the lead in this case. FBI Agent Sean Nichols is the led agent in this multi-agency team and they need to move fast to stop the individual they believe responsible for this breach - Phantom is known for not only incredible hacking skills but a deadly ruthlessness.

First stop is Portland, Oregon, to connect with U.S. Marshal Taylor Mills, with whom RED Team had previous dealings. Taylor's charge in WITSEC is of particular interest as she has the hacking skills needed to pull this off and she has had previous dealings with Phantom. Dealings that have her life in danger and on Phantom's radar.

There is just one little problem though they have never met in person Sean and Taylor have a relationship that is about to put a serious dose of awkward into their face-to-face dealings. Working with someone who knows some of your deepest feelings is never easy and Sean and Taylor are about to find out just how hard it is very quickly. Can you say stepping on toes when they each try to do their job with no compromise?

With the threat that someone inside the U.S. Marshal office is involved Taylor is effectively cut off from her normal support team with need to know severely limited. Phantom is always seemingly two steps ahead of them and every lead soon becomes a dead-end.

Tick-tock is the refrain that must be running through the minds of this group as the threat to protected witnesses begins to become reality. Trust is what is needed to get them to their goal - Phatom's capture and the recovery of the stolen database and trust is the one thing that both Sean and Taylor have in short supply.

Seconds to Live is the first book in Susan Sleeman's new Homeland Heroes series and it has a wide cast of characters whom one is more than willing to get to know in future books. One would assume that the RED Team will continue to work on a seemingly cold case that they haven't solved - the Montgomery Three has haunted all of them (we are given little about this case other than that the team sees this as a failure). I like that little hints are offered throughout about the other team members but nothing to truly flesh them out so that they become a friend rather they are like the neighbor you only pass on the way to and from work. The book works well as a series staring point but also works well as a standalone book.

This book is classified as Romantic Suspense and falls well into that genre - those who have read Susan Sleeman's work with Love Inspired Suspense will not be disappointed in this offering from Bethany House. Great way to pass the late-night hours when you should probably be sleeping but what can I say I was hooked and could not stop reading.

I received a complimentary copy of this book via the publisher with no expectations but that I provide my honest opinion - all thoughts expressed are my own.


About the Book:

The Seconds Are Ticking Down before Someone Dies

When cybercriminals hack into the U.S. Marshals' Witness Protection database and auction off witnesses' personal details to the highest bidders, the RED Team, led by FBI Agent Sean Nichols, begins a high-stakes chase to find the hacker. But before he can even get started, the first witness is targeted and barely escapes with her life. Sean believes Phantom, an obsessed hacker who previously outwitted the top minds in the field, is behind the attack, and Sean needs this witness's help, as she's the person who has come closest to discovering Phantom's identity.

Trouble is, she's under the care of U.S. Marshal Taylor Mills, and Sean is reluctant to work with the captivating Marshal who knows his deepest secrets. But Phantom seems to be one step ahead at every turn and will stop at nothing to kill the witness. To stop the hacker, Sean and Taylor must learn to trust each other as danger draws ever closer.