into the crossfire.

Former Navy SEAL Sam Reston keeps to himself. His world is dangerous, uncertain, violent...and there is no room in it for the helpless and weak. Then the most beautiful woman in the world moves in next door to him . . . .

Nicole Pearce's life is complicated enough—with an ailing father and a new business to worry about—and the last thing she needs is to get involved with a secretive, hard-bodied, hardheaded neighbor. Yet Sam leaves her breathless—her body tingling with erotic desire—and it takes every ounce of her fabled control to resist offering herself to him, no strings attached. What she doesn't know is that Sam Reston is on an undercover assignment . . . and she's about to step into the crossfire.

Never has Sam ached for a woman so badly, and he's never fallen in love before. Now that Nicole is in grave danger, he will become her shield, and guard the tempting body he longs to touch and taste. Because a terrorist plot hatched half a world away is heading to their doorstep—and it can only be derailed by one man and one woman.

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The short version: I didn't like it. I don't read erotica because I don't like it. So, if you're a fan of it, maybe you won't have the same issues that I had. If you're wondering why I read this, it was based on a recommendation from a good friend who did enjoy it.

Ok, the positives. I thought Nicole was a great character. The reasons behind her actions were clear, her love for her father came through the pages easily. I also really liked the villain here. It was the most believable part of the book. I thought it was sneaky, but could've been better executed.

Now for the rest. I can’t say any of the same character type things for Sam. He didn’t come across as genuine to me. I found it unbelievable that these two people fell in love over the course of the book. I thought the sex scenes were unfeeling. That wouldn't be a problem except you're trying to get me to believe that they are somehow falling in love. I couldn't get with that. On the other end of things, it took a long time for the author to actually introduce the danger to Nicole.

The writing itself also left a bit to be desired. Something was off about it and I found myself being more distracted by that than into the story itself. At least I can tell my friend that I read it and it's not my cup of tea.

blackout.

I was alone, and I was lost. I didn’t know where I was; I didn’t know who I was. It doesn’t get more lost than that. Knowing what I knew and not knowing anything else at all, why would I want to be in the darkness where monsters hide?

Because killers hide there, too…

Half-human Cal Leandros has always walked a bloody line between keeping his mortal soul free and clear (sort of) and unleashing the horror of his otherworldly heritage. The one thing that’s always saved him is the memory of his brother, Niko, his friends, and those he loves.

Until now.

Cal wakes up on a beach littered with the recently slaughtered remains of a variety of hideous creatures that were obviously looking for trouble. The fact that he was the one doing the slaughtering doesn’t bother him. The fact that he feels like a natural-born killer doesn’t either. What bothers him is that Cal doesn’t remember Cal anymore…

And he’s not sure he cares.

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I'm happy to report that Blackout is a vast improvement from Roadkill, though still missing something from the first four. What I loved here is that Thurman gets to step out of her box as far as characters go. With Cal's memory loss, he becomes a completely different person. New Cal, if you will. New Cal thinks about things and possesses a far more sympathetic nature than regular Cal. As he is without his memory for the majority of the book, Thurman basically has the opportunity to create a new person. Some of the essential Cal things are still there - his love of guns, laziness and sloppiness, constant boredom stemming from Niko's lectures - but his view on monsters and killing them are different. The book is more about New Cal than any fighting or case. It was very much a character story, if that makes sense. I found it to be pleasant, which isn't a word I'd use for any of the other installments. It seemed to pause the progression into darkness that the previous books include.

For me, the biggest thing I realized was that I'm in love with Niko. I've always liked his character, but with the things he does in this book, I feel head over heels. He is amazing and just about makes up from the fact that George hasn't shown up in forever. By forever, I mean the last 3 books. (Seriously, will she EVER come back? I miss her dearly.)

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Note: Thanks to a comment on GoodReads, I found out the author has stated that she will not bring Georgina back, as she doesn't fit into Cal's life. With that information and the direction it implies, I doubt I'll continue reading this series for much longer.

a light at winter's end.

In her latest contemporary romance novel, Julia London treats us to the story of Holly, the younger sibling to her seemingly perfect older sister, and Wyatt, a man trying to recover from losing his wife. Everything changes for Holly when her sister enters rehab, leaving her with her infant nephew.

I thought the strength of this story was the characters and their atypical circumstances. When Holly is forced to care for her nephew, it isn't an immediately happy situation. London shows how the character felt inconvenienced and how she changes throughout the story to create a new life that works for her and Mason. The same goes for Wyatt. In a previous installment (which I now want to read), Wyatt's wife leaves him for her first husband who has come back from the dead. Understandably, he is still smarting from the failed marriage, but determined to remain active in his daughter's life.

Additionally, Light addresses the dynamics of sibling relationships, addiction, and blended families very well. Each issue is seamlessly woven into the story and given the appropriate attention and resolution. I really loved that the ending, in regards to Holly and Mason, didn't end perfectly, but realistically. But, I would have liked just a little something more between Wyatt and Holly at the conclusion.

I am happy to say that I enjoyed this book, since it's been some time since I could say that about one of London's books, especially about one of her contemporaries.

no place to run.

Sam Kelly was her first love.

The last person Sam Kelly expected to pull wounded from the lake was Sophie Lundgren. Once they shared a brief, intense affair while Sam was undercover and then she vanished. She's spent the last months on the run, knowing that any mistake would cost her life and that of her unborn child—Sam's child. Now she's resurfaced with a warning for Sam: this time, he's the one in danger.

Now he's her last chance.

Sam has too many questions to let her slip away again—like why she disappeared in the first place. This time he vows not to be seduced. But one look in her eyes, and the passion burns again, and Sam knows he’ll do anything to keep her and his child safe. However, Sophie’s dark past is more dangerous than he imagines, and the only way for either to survive it is to outrun it.

The things that I thought went wrong in The Darkest Hour were corrected here, as I suspected they would be. In the second novel of the KGI series, Maya Banks does a great job of balancing the two sides of the story. Readers are never left wondering about the progression of the case, as it is never far from any of the characters' minds. The romance between Sam and Sophie is set at an almost perfect pace. There weren't random scenes with the Kelly parents and, thankfully, Rusty appears only briefly in this one. (I still don't like her.) No Place to Run is quite an improvement over The Darkest Hour. I expect that Banks' KGI books will continue to get better.

A pretty short review, I know. But, that's exactly how I felt about it. (And I read it awhile ago, but forgot to post the review here. Oops!) Go read the book!