with no remorse.

His quiet vacation in the Peruvian Andes turns deadly when a Black Ops, Inc. operative rescues a stunning stranger from a mysterious train robbery and discovers she’s the target of a vengeful manhunt.

A DANGEROUS MAN
For Luke Colter, down time is an illusion. He should know better than to ever leave his gun behind. Especially since he risks his life to save world-famous supermodel Valentina.

A REBELLIOUS WOMAN
Val thought traveling incognito through the mountains would be the perfect cure for her bruised heart . . . until someone tries to kill her. Without knowing who is after her—and why—does she dare trust her irresistible protector?

A PERILOUS MISSION THAT COULD SEAL THEIR FATE
Luke’s elite military training offers little defense against his feelings for Val. When his BOI team links her ruthless enemy to the cutthroat global weapons trade—and to a man from her troubled past—he’ll do anything to save her. So when Val offers herself as bait, will he make the right call . . . or surrender to the hold she has on his heart?

I love Luke. And part of me wants to leave the review at that one sentence. I'm not quite sure what it was, but I definitely developed some for real feelings for Luke while reading this book. Doc is pretty fantastic and that's it.

If you read the series, you'll remember what happened to Luke in the last book. He's still dealing with his feelings and such from that experience in this one. He's just about to start working for Black Ops, Inc. (BOI) again when he ends up helping Valentina escape and evade mercenaries. Most of the story is their escape and Luke trying to get her to BOI HQ, with a few glimpses of the bad guy who's in charge of the people after her. The problem is that her predicament didn't really seem like it fit into a bigger picture. Maybe it wasn't supposed to? Aside from that, I liked it. Cindy Gerard did a good job of focusing on the couple while they were on a run in a way that didn't make you think "Uh, shouldn't they be focusing on staying alive?!" That's a hard balance and often takes a vet, such as Gerard, to accomplish it.

As an aside, I thought it was adorable that Luke had a crush on Valentina that dated back to his teen years.

hush.

A reckless adventure in a deadly paradise.

Thrill seekers Zakary and Gideon Stark travel the globe in search of extreme adventure, but a trip to Venezuela to jump off the world’s highest falls catapults them into a perilous game of life or death—where they don’t know the rules.

A one-night stand that will change his life forever.

Kidnapped with a woman Zak knows nothing about, the brothers are held prisoner deep in the jungle. A risky, deathdefying escape separates them and nearly claims Zak’s life . . . until his recovery reveals a baffling new sixth sense.

An unexpected diversion with lethal consequences.

Now, to find his missing brother, Zak and the mysterious Acadia Gray will have to out-smart, out-gun, and out-maneuver not just the brutal kidnappers but also a new player who joins the adrenaline game: a ruthless opponent who wants the Stark brothers dead—at any cost.

Like a said, good book luck! I've actually had this one sitting in my TBR for a couple months. In my mind, I didn't want to read it. Now having done so, I see that I was thinking crazy thoughts and wasted time!

Cherry Adair did quite a good job with this one, even with Zak's weird sixth sense. Which, since I'm starting with that, was totally and completely unnecessary. I was left wondering if she added it just so that the book could be considered paranormal in some way? I have no idea, and honestly, that special ability of his was take it or leave it for me. Otherwise, fine holiday fun.

As is the case with so many of our favorite heroes, Zak is wounded with a hard heart due to a previous woman. Now, he lives his life footloose, fancy free, and with a possible death wish. That is, until he finds himself in a position where he has to play hero to save his life, his brother's life, and new lover Acadia's as well. Instead of giving Zak a woman who was born with steel in her spine, Adair gives him Acadia - a woman who had never had any adventure up to this point. She's recently won the lottery, wants to do something different, and coerced by her friends, ends up in Venezuela. Despite her lack of experience, she becomes an asset invaluable to their efforts to get out of the country alive. What happens at the end was a surprise to me and I cherish those moments since so much seems predictable these days.

Apparently, this is a trilogy. I have no idea who the next two books will be about and I'm going to exercise serious restraint and not look it up.

night after night.

WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS . . .

The son of a con-artist, Sean O'Brien learned the hard way that living by your own rules comes with a price. After a brief time behind bars, Sean is now ready to live an honest life, and pay for his past mistakes. But even his gorgeous face and seductive charms can't make up for his prison record . . .until a member of The Reliance Group sees Sean's potential for good and gives him a job at the Onyx Casino.

WILL KEEP THEM COMING BACK FOR MORE . . .

Zoe Russo has met all types of men on the Vegas strip. But when Sean pays a visit to her casino boutique, she knows she's in luck. They share an immediate, irresistible attraction, and for the first time in her life she's found a man she thinks she can trust. But when Zoe stumbles onto the truth about Sean and his reasons for persuing her, she can't help but question his feelings for her. Is he for real, or has she been a fool for love? Until now, nothing has prepared her for the thrill, and risk, of gambling on love.

Yet another standard romantic suspense. From Into the Night, I was expecting a bit of improvement and, unfortunately, that wasn't what I got. It makes me a little sad, since I really liked the glimpse of Sean's character in the series debut. Denison doesn't do anything new here. I found that I was reading it to be reading it and didn't really care about the characters. Then, there's the addition of Zoe's best friend, a superstar pop singer named Jessica, and her high school sweetheart. I have no idea how they warranted a plot of their own. It came out of nowhere with no connection at all to the storyline. On the positive end, I liked Zoe’s character and the fact that this book essentially stands on its own, so there’s no rehashing of Into the Night. Another thing I liked was the difference in the love scenes. For ITN, I noted that they were frequent and detailed. Here, not so frequent and it's absolutely believable that it plays out this way. As a whole, I thought Night After Night lacked feeling, which is my favorite element, and I found that I didn't care about the story.

hidden away.

Most people would take an all-expense=paid trip to the beach in a heartbeat. Garrett Kelly only accepts to keep tabs on Sarah Daniels, who's in hiding after witnessing a murder committed by her half brother-a personal enemy of KGI. But Garrett hadn't planned on falling for Sarah. When he glimpses her dark past, he feels an urgent desire to keep her safe-even as she disappears, running for her life.

This is the third book in Maya Banks' series about the Kelly brothers. Each book shows improvement in Banks' writing and storytelling in the world of romantic suspense. Do I think this one was better than No Place to Run? Eh, no. But, maybe just behind it.

I love Garrett and Sarah wasn't a bad match for him. Again, Garrett's mission and the danger to the heroine are ever present here, as the suspense is attached to their relationship. All the Kelly brothers are present and accounted for, as well as some of the other KGI employees. I believe Ms. Banks has even hinted at the first non-Kelly story to come, between Cole and P.J. Apparently, I was wrong. I just read that the author has said they won't be each other's love interest, which begs the question, WHY did you do that?! I should've written this before I found that tidbit of information. (Aside: I don't like when authors mislead me about future pairings. Luckily, I found out about this early enough that I hadn't really given it time to take root in my mind.) I'm guessing, then, that she'll put P.J. with Rio.

Anyway. Rusty is here, yet again, given more time than in No Place to Run, but less than The Darkest Hour. She has a traumatic event in Hidden Away and I was sympathetic to her. But, I still don't like the character. And I still want her to disappear.

If you haven't already gotten into this series, I'd suggest you do so. :c)

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!

breaking point.

Denver journalist Natalie Benoit and Deputy U.S. Marshal Zach McBride find themselves captives of a bloodthirsty Mexican drug cartel. Working together, they escape through the desert toward the border, the attraction between them flaring hotter than the Sonoran sun. They fight to stay ahead of the danger that hunts them as forces more powerful than they can imagine conspire to destroy them both...

I'm happy to see we're still on a good path! My luck has finally changed, as far as books are concerned. And I hope mentioning that doesn't jinx me.

Breaking Point wasn't the best book I've ever read, but it was better than the last (book I remember reading) in Pamela Clare's Denver I-Team series. I found Natalie to be a pretty fantastic heroine. She and Zach meet each other while they're being held prisoner in Mexico. From there, they have quite an interesting escape story. The first half of the book is focused on them getting back home and then it shifts to figuring out why Natalie was taken. Clare makes the story real with actual injuries and leaks, instead of the good guys knowing every single thing that was happening.

She's got me back into the series. Next time I see another of her books, I won't make that :o/ face. You know the one.

living on the edge.

After a devastating injury, Lucas Ramsay knows he's finished as a soldier.But when the general who saved his life asks him for a favor, he says yes. All Lucas has to do is keep the general's daughter from getting on a plane to Colombia -- which is easier said than done...

Independent to the core, Sloane Gideon is a member of the Edge-a group of mercenaries for hire. But she's not on the clock for this mission. Her best friend is being held by a vicious drug lord, and Sloane must rescue her -- no matter how many handsome ex-soldiers her father sends to dissuade her.

With little choice, Lucas tracks Sloane to Colombia - where she reluctantly allows him to aid her in her search. But as they grow closer to the target, they grow closer to each other. And before the battle is over, both will have to decide just what they are willing to fight for.
-------------------

Perhaps the tide is turning. This one wasn't too bad. I've read a few of Butcher's books before (and I love her husband's Dresden Files series) and while the first couple were good, they did slip for me. My sister and I disagree about the debut of this new series, however. I thought it was decent, she found it underwhelming.

Lucas and Sloane seem to be well matched. From the first time she gets the best of him, I liked them both. I honestly don't know what else to say except that it's your run of the mill romantic suspense with a twist that will continue throughout the series. There are a lot of characters introduced, which proved a bit confusing for me at first, and hints about a serious project of some sort that happened in the past. If I could change anything, it would be to make that part a bit clearer. I read the book and still don't get the Edge or whatever this past experiment is.

I hope that the series will improve. But, at the very least, she's written a debut good enough to keep me interested.

into the night.

A former Marine and Las Vegas vice copy, Nathan Fox has seen it all and then some. Heading up security for the Onyx Casino is tame compared to his past, but it's not his only job. Working for The Reliance Group is his real passion project. His current case: a missing woman. His mission: to find her. But soon Nathan must deal with a stubborn, and stunning, journalist who's nosed her way into the investigation . . . and into Nathan's fantasies.

To reporter Nicole Hutton, exposing a ruthless, twisted criminal who abuses vulnerable teens isn't just a job. In fact, this story has become very personal, especially now that she's gotten tangled up with sexy Nathan Fox. But before she can break the story, and help rescue a missing girl, she and Nathan must brave the labyrinth of Vegas's dark underbelly . . . where the heat simmering between them is about to burst into flames.

It's been awhile since I've read a Janelle Denison book. This one wasn't too bad. Nathan and Nicole are instantly attracted to each other after meeting at a speed dating event. Both believe the instance will be one night only, until Nathan's case brings them back together again.

As with most Denison stories, the sex scenes are frequent and well detailed. Not as risque as her Wilde series, though. For me, that's a bonus. The kidnapping case that the characters are working on plays out well throughout with Nathan and Nicole going undercover to extract a teenage runaway. Denison does a great job pacing the story, but it ends without any true excitement. The pages after the initial ending seem to have been added for an extra thrill. The characters each have backgrounds that relate to the case and they're brought up accordingly. Nicole's issues were repeated a few times too many, but eh, I'll let it slide. I could have used a bit more emotion between Nicole and Nathan, but I'm not going to be too picky after all the duds I've been reading lately.

As I haven't kept up with Denison, I'm not sure if this is the first in the TRG books or if it's already started. I wouldn't mind continuing with the series, especially to read about bartender Sean O'Brien. If you think you have similar tastes, go ahead and give it a read.

ace is wild.

Vivi Foster is a psychic who ends up saving former FBI/current lawyer Daniel Pierce's life. As someone who doesn't believe in anything but facts, Daniel thinks Vivi has some other way of knowing about the attempts on his life. While dodging multiple murder attempts, viviv and Daniel run around the city trying to figure out who is trying to kill him and why.

Ace is Wild is not the best romantic suspense I've ever read, but it's not the worst. The investigation parts were fine, but the romance was lacking. I was far more interested in who was orchestrating the hits than I was on what was going on between the two main characters. The sex scenes were just okay and I didn't really believe the ending. That said, it was enough for me to want to give Penny McCall anothet shot. I wouldn't recommend this book to someone unfamiliar with her work. I plan on getting my hands on Tag, You're It and making my decision about her writing then.