Wow, I was immediately drawn to the cover. Isn’t it gorgeous?! Then I was sucked in by the blurb. A historical romance set on the Mississippi River! TWow, I was immediately drawn to the cover. Isn’t it gorgeous?! Then I was sucked in by the blurb. A historical romance set on the Mississippi River! There’s gambling and boozing and dueling… and romancing.
I absolutely loved the set up for this story! There was so much going on I don’t even know where to begin.
First, you have Philadelphia. Years ago, when she was a young child, Dell’s mother took her away and left her step-father, Quintus Moreaux AKA the Monster of the Mississippi. Not long later, Dell’s mother passed away, leaving Dell to the harsh life of working at her uncle’s whiskey still…but not before teaching Dell the tricks of her trade: reading-people and knowing their every thought and move.
Then there is Captain Rory Campbell, the monster’s protege and righthand man. Dell remembers Rory from her time on the riverboats, but when he shows up in her small town, Dell fears that Rory will out her biggest secret…that her real father is black and she not ALL white. But Rory has a different plan. He needs Dell to return with him on the Mississippi and help him ruin the monster.
Okay, that is just the basic set up; there are way too many things happening in this book, and for me to go into much more detail, well, that will just spoil all the good parts.
The Romance: Rory and Dell were great together. There was some really good sexual tension and the sex scenes were pretty steamy. At first, I thought that Dell was going to be one of those whiny heroines, but she really wasn’t. She was quite intelligent and I loved how she was always able to read Rory…when it was important. Rory had his demons, but honestly, I didn’t find that he was as “depraved” as he made himself out to be. I do feel that the BIG SCENE where Dell tried to “liberate” Rory from his darkness lacked a bit of intensity and passion. I don’t know how to explain it, but I wasn’t as moved as I hoped to have been.
Dell’s Skills: I must say that I really enjoyed seeing Dell use her talents. Those scenes were very well planned out and all the pieces fit together perfectly. My only problem is that it was quite a bit far fetched to imagine that Dell’s mother was able to teach Dell so many of her skills before she died, since Dell was very young at that time.
The Suspense: Like I said earlier, there was a lot going on here. There’s a big, complicated scheme to bring down Quintus and all the cards have to fall perfectly…pun intended. Rory and Dell each have there own plan and I loved seeing how it all came together in the end.
The Sequel? Looks like this is the first book of The River Rogues series and I can’t wait to read more of this time period and setting. I hope Kit’s story will be next.
The Lost Year is the third and final story of the Secrets of Neverwood anthology. The anthology tells the storI loved this story…absolutely loved it!
The Lost Year is the third and final story of the Secrets of Neverwood anthology. The anthology tells the stories of three foster brothers who are brought back together after the death of their foster mother Audrey. The Lost Year is about Devon, the oldest brother of the three, who finds his HEA with Nicholas, a man who comes to Devon enlisting his help to find his runaway son.
Like I already said, I LOVED THIS STORY! And stayed up all night reading it.
I loved all the sexual tension between Devon and Nicholas. The whole is-he-or-isn’t-he-gay trope really works for me. Plus, Devon’s little glasses kink was hot. They both drove me crazy with not being able to admit what that wanted…stubborn men! But everything works out in the end.
I loved the suspense. I wasn’t sure if Devon and Nicholas would be able to find Robbie, but I think their search process was believable even though the likelihood that they would have found him would have been extremely slim.
I loved the brothers…Cal and Danny. And even though they treated Nicholas horribly, I understand they were only looking out for Devon…and themselves. Trust doesn’t come easy to any of them.
I loved Audrey. She gets a little wild there in the end and I was biting my nails like crazy throughout the big danger scene. I think her “presence” was really well done and only slightly creepy.
Since this is the only story of the anthology that I read (and likely to be the only one I read) I think I missed a bit of the crazy relative plot. But I’m fine with that and happy that I am able to know how it all ends.
First of all, isn’t this one of the best blurbs ever??!! And the cover? Gorgeous!!
Let me count some of the ways I loved this book:
1. I loved JasFirst of all, isn’t this one of the best blurbs ever??!! And the cover? Gorgeous!!
Let me count some of the ways I loved this book:
1. I loved Jason’s voice! It was snappy and quick and snarky. He immediately pulled me in and I didn’t want to stop until the end…then I didn’t want it to end.
2. Thank god there was no baby talk! So yes, Timmy sounded very adult like, but I figured with as chatty as that kid was, baby talk throughout the entire book would have been waaaaaay to exhausting and tedious.
3. It was freakin’ hilarious! I’m serious, I found myself laughing out loud too many times to count. I even had to put my Kindle down a few times because I was laughing so hard…doubled over and clutching my tummy laughing!
4. It was creepy! A perfect book to stay up all night reading…alone…with all the lights out. I dare ya! Even though much of this story is humorous, there’s plenty of hair-raising spookiness.
5. It was suspenseful! I admit the mystery was a bit predictable, but my heart and my brain didn’t want to believe it to be true. Still, there’s plenty of nail-biting scenes.
6. It was sexy! There was so much great tension between Jason and Sam…ohmygod it was yummylicious…on the dinner table. No, it wasn’t overloaded with sex; I felt that all the scenes that made it to the page fit appropriately with the progression of the story.
7. It was sweet! Not sappy sweet, though. Jason and Sam fall for each other pretty fast and there really isn’t any romantic angst at all. Just two sexy guys falling in love during the middle of a pretty intense situation.
A non-stop action thriller with a side-dish of romance.
Kerry Ekdahl is like a chameleon. She can change her entire appearance with only a few tweaks tA non-stop action thriller with a side-dish of romance.
Kerry Ekdahl is like a chameleon. She can change her entire appearance with only a few tweaks to her wardrobe and learn any language within a few weeks. She uses her unique skills working as a bar hostess…interpreting and mingling and flirting with wealthy businessmen…including powerful yakuza members. When Kerry is framed for the murder of a yakuza boss, she flees the city of Tokyo hoping the whole misunderstanding will straighten itself out. But when the danger turns on her friends, Kerry can’t leave them unprotected and must bend to the demands of the yakuza family, and ends up putting her life and trust into the hands of a man called Chanko, a former sumo-wrestler on the path to a new life.
Setting: This was very Japanese. No, I’ve never been to Japan, nor do I know much about the country other than what I’ve learned from a high-school foreign exchange student many years ago and a few more language and cultural references I have picked up over the past few years by reading Japanese influenced stories. This was very Japanese! From the language to the mannerisms to the hierarchy of social structures, not to mention the geography. Everything about this book screamed “THIS AUTHOR KNOWS HER SHIT!!” It was so vivid, I felt like I was right there in Kerry’s nightmare.
Pace: The initial feel of the story was this overwhelming sense of urgency: Kerry trying to get on the train and out of Tokyo before the yakuza guys notice her, but the tempo tended to get bogged down occasionally with the frequent details and descriptions and explanations and interpretations of the Japanese culture. Yes, I found all that fascinating but, for me, it made for slower reading during certain scenes because I had to take it all in and digest it before I could comprehend what was really going on…or what it meant. That is not a complaint, because I feel that in order to keep the story legitimate and accurate to the culture, those details needed to be there. And for someone like me who is a bit slow, needed those interpretations. It just wasn’t “easy” reading for me…I had to use my brain A LOT!
Mystery: Oh man, I was so into the complexity of who did what and how Kerry was going to get out of the bad situation. It had a little bit of who done it, what are we going to do about it, where did they go, why did they do it, how did they do it?????? Back to what are we going to do about it? And the way it all worked out in the end…loved every bit of that! In fact, it would make an awesome movie.
Characters: So many complex characters running around here. All well developed and true to their character. I liked how Kerry didn’t always make the best decisions, but she was selfless to the point of sacrificing herself in order to protect those she cared about. And Chanko, not your typical romance hero as he doesn’t fit the sexy stereotype. (I would love to see an image of who inspired his character, because I was totally crushing on Chanko!) He was like a big block of ice in the beginning and I loved the early scenes with him and Kerry and all the insults and banter flying back and forth. Then we get to know the warm cuddly, teddy bear that can turn into a charging giant at any moment. Then there was Yoshi, one of Kerry’s best friends. While I wanted to strangle him throughout most of the book, I was still afraid something bad would happen to him and Kerry would never forgive herself.
Romance: The romance definitely takes a backseat to the mystery/suspense plot line, which was entirely what I was expecting. I was feeling all the sexual energy between Kerry and Chanko anyway: every word, every look, every touch… And when they finally gave in to the attraction, GAH! I wanted to throw my Kindle across the room because it was FADE-TO-BLACK!!! I know, I know. That makes me a big, fat hypocrite, but I wanted to see that sweet intimacy between Kerry and Chanko…NAKED! Was it because he was “fat”? I don’t know, but that wasn’t stopping me from wanting it! I don’t believe it would have interfered with the pace of the story, either. :(
Ending: The big showdown at the end between the good guys and the bad guys was one of my favorite scenes in the entire book! Come on, that’s not a spoiler. I said this was a thriller and a thriller always has to end with a BIG showdown. It’s a bit HFN, when it’s all said and done, but it’s left open ended enough to where there would be plenty if room and potential for a sequel. Please.
I have tortured myself for two days now trying to write a review for this book. So be happy with this...
♦ I loved it ♦ I couldn't put it down ♦ I bit I have tortured myself for two days now trying to write a review for this book. So be happy with this...
♦ I loved it ♦ I couldn't put it down ♦ I bit off all my finger nails ♦ I couldn't tell who was telling the truth ♦ I couldn't figure anything out ♦ I didn't want it to end ♦ I can't stop thinking about it ♦ I can't wait for the next book
Why [insert any of the above as you deem appropriate]?
♦ The hilarious chapter titles ♦ The asshole MC ♦ The hooker love interest ♦ The freckles ♦ The slippers ♦ The sexual tension ♦ The blowjobs ♦ The snark ♦ The sharp, snappy dialogue ♦ The banter ♦ The pace ♦ The suspense ♦ The twists ♦ The deceit ♦ The secondary characters ♦ The brothers ♦ The fiancée ♦ The partner ♦ The alien cat creature ♦ The Jag ♦ THE CLIFFHANGER...more
I finally read a sequel that I loved...and it was even better than the first book!!
Possible spoilers so read at your own risk...
What you should knI finally read a sequel that I loved...and it was even better than the first book!!
Possible spoilers so read at your own risk...
What you should know: ♦ There is no crazy head hopping ♦ Ty and Zane are both still recovering from the Tri-State Murders ♦ The whole story is slower paced ♦ Ty and Zane can't even go on a forced vacation without getting into trouble ♦ There is very little snark ♦ Ty and Zane still don't really know anything about each other besides the fucking ♦ The mystery is kinda lame ♦ Ty and Zane are both very insecure and stumbling around their relationship ♦ Ty's first name is revealed ♦ The whole damn story is freakin' dark and depressing
We get to meet Ty's family: Deuce: I like him, although I really don't know how well he can be trusted Earl: An idiot asshole and I don't care how much guilt he carries...I don't think he can be forgiven Mara: I don't know much about her other than she can cook Chester: Crazy old man with a shovel. Beware!
What stands out for me: The story goes deeper into Ty and Zane's personalities, hangups, and relationship. Yeah, it is really dark but that fits with the characteristics of PTSD. I love the slow build of their relationship and how they both are hesitant to fall in love...or shall I say admit their love. There isn't much sex here, but their intensity and the connection between them has my stomach fluttering every page. I can't wait to read more of these two.
4.0 Stars because the mystery fell short. 5 Stars for the progressions in Ty and Zane's relationship. 4.5 Stars overall. ...more
Well, Josh has done it again. Written another amazing romantic mystery with realistic imperfect characters and such vivid imagery tAmazing and Intense
Well, Josh has done it again. Written another amazing romantic mystery with realistic imperfect characters and such vivid imagery that I felt so connected with the story and the main characters. Only this time Swift made me cry even more than Adrien. Swift's struggle to stay sober was breaking my heart. I cried when he wanted to use and I cried when Max was there to save him. (Those that know me well, know that I hardly ever cry!!!) He only wanted to help a friend and believed he was doing the right things; and those choices nearly destroyed him. I have to say that I loved the brief "Choose Your Own Adventure" scenarios at the beginning of each chapter. For me, it brought to mind the paths that Swift chose to take throughout the course of his life thus far. What would you choose to do in this situation? Can you really control your own destiny? Or will the finale always end up being the same?
Swift and Max's relationship was intense. Here you have the recovering cocaine addict literature professor-slash-famous former poet and the small town's chief of police. Can they be any more different?? Yet they were perfect for each other. I loved how Swift called Max "Chief" and how Max called Swift "Teach". It made me smile everytime. And when Max told Swift, "I’m not going to let go of you. I’m going to hold you all night. So go ahead and feel whatever you feel. If you’re still craving cocaine, go ahead. You’re safe. You can crave it all you want, but I won’t let go, and if you still feel like you can’t trust yourself in the morning, and it’s what you want, I’ll drive you to rehab myself. Okay?", I had to take a break from reading because my chest was hurting and I had tears running down my face.
Like I said, it was AMAZING and INTENSE.
ETA: I just realized that I did't say anything about the mystery. I guess I'm like Swift, and didn't really care about who the killer was. It was a good mystery and I didn't have anything figured out until the end. ...more
I really enjoyed this book. It had lots of gun fighting and danger and sexual tension! Doesn't all that compliment each other perfectly?! It 4.5 stars
I really enjoyed this book. It had lots of gun fighting and danger and sexual tension! Doesn't all that compliment each other perfectly?! It does become very romantic towards the end. And I loved both of the main characters!
On the other hand, this didn't feel like one of the usual Lanyon novels. Maybe that was a lot to do with Baumbach's influence? I really don't know because I haven't read any if her other work. If she does plan to write more books in this series, I will continue to read them. ...more
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