Book Review: Lady Lilias and the Devil in Plaid (Scottish Scoundrels: Ensnared Hearts #2) by Julie Johnstone

FIVE STARS

Lilias,
Please don’t write to me anymore. I’ve met someone else. And I’m not hurting. I’d have to feel to hurt and I don’t feel anything.
~~Nash 

Nash broke my heart. He was seventeen when he first met Lilias, who was just fifteen. They, along with her stuffy friend, Owen, made quick friends with Nash. Owen had no idea how to be a man and what he learned he learned from Nash. That has a lot of significance to the story. Lilias was taken by Nash’s good looks, the fact that he wore a kilt, and she could see his legs. She’d never really seen a man’s legs before and she liked what she saw. It was obvious to Lilias from the first time they met that there was something different about Nash and she soon found out that he felt so guilty about the death of his twin brother who’d drowned when he fell through the ice of a frozen pond. His parents turning on him over it didn’t help matters, plus he was dealing with other issues, too. That was a lot to deal with for one so young and he’d been dealing it with it for a long time. Alone.

Jump ahead seven years. Nash and Lilias haven’t seen each other since their last encounter, which was seven years ago. She hadn’t known he’d come for visits and had seen Owen, but had never tried to contact Lilias. That hurt her heart. She was in love with him and had been since she first met him. There was a player involved that wasn’t being fair nor honest when it came to Nash and Lilias. That just added more angst to the story.

This book has a lot of angst, as a matter of fact. I wanted Nash and Lilias to make a go of this, but there were so many obstacles and so many dishonest, selfish people involved, it was a continuous uphill battle for both of them. Neither wanted to tell the other how they felt and when they finally did, it was so emotional, it took my breath away. But it still wasn’t enough. I wasn’t sure how they were going to get their happily-ever-after or if they were even going to get one. She fought for him as hard as she could, despite the consequences and the nefarious people involved. She did it with passion, vigor, and love in her heart. It was so good.

This book is filled with feels, not many kisses, and one love scene in the epilogue that was rated PG. I don’t really think it needed to be there, to be honest, but considering it’s a romance, there has to be some of it in there. To not have it would be a disappointment to many.

This is a solid five-star read and I’m looking forward to the next book. It’s about Kilgore who was in the first novel and is also in this one. He’s sort of an anti-hero and really does deserve his own story.

*I received a free copy of this book and voluntarily left a review.

Purchase at Amazon: https://amzn.to/37U3K0x

Book Review: Grave Wrong (Lost Souls Society) by Kate Allenton

FOUR STARS

his book starts out with an air of mystery and a strong insinuation of child abuse, although it there aren’t any really graphic scenes. Ryley is just a little girl and is psychic. Her father is an abusive bastard and uses her abilities to gain information from dead people and for some bad dudes. Things go sideways and little Ryley ends up shooting her father. 

It’s too bad she didn’t kill him because she and her brother, who are now grown and have jobs and lives of their own, are in Witness Protection. Her dad somehow keeps track of her and sends her menacing messages once a year. She’s terrified that he’s going to kill her and anytime she hears from him, she moves again. She’s always on the run and looking over her shoulder.

She does something that brought tears to my eyes. It’s almost like a hobby. She goes to funerals that nobody else goes to. Her mindset is that everybody deserves to have someone remember them. That tugged at my heart. She does this on a regular basis and sometimes has to make the spirits go to the light. 

Meanwhile, her former psychiatrist is being haunted by a violent ghost. An angry ghost. That whole part of the book is unhinged in a good way. She can’t get to the bottom of the case until she holds something personal of this ghost and it just got nuts. I was so surprised at why the ghost was so angry and the ending was just tragic.

So, we have a suicide victim, who is the angry ghost. We have Ryley chasing this angry ghost and trying to send a stubborn little boy ghost to the light (that did make me cry), a vast inheritance that was a total surprise and one she wasn’t sure she wanted, and three guys who are a part of her life and are demanding a sequel to this book. I want to see if she hooks up with one of them. My vote is for Logan, but Jake or Felix would work, too.

This is a very busy book, but I didn’t have any trouble keeping anything straight. It had a lot of characters, including ghosts, that I enjoyed, although I do think more character descriptions would be helpful. I never got a look at Ryley at all and got a brief glimpse of Jake, Logan, and Felix. I would also like to get a description of Tucker. There were a few typos (spirt instead of spirit and desert rather than dessert, for example), but they didn’t destroy the reading experience. I was also hoping for some romance. There were a few allusions to it, but nothing came together, which is why we need that sequel.

With the things mentioned above, the twists and turns in the plot, and the ending, this was a solid four stars. I liked it very much.

*I received a free copy of this book and voluntarily left a review.

Purchase at Amazon: https://amzn.to/3oM7N5g

Book Review: Deadly Past (Verona Bay #2) by Katie Reus

FOUR STARS

3-1/2 stars rounded up to 4

This book has all the elements of books I love: a surprise pregnancy, a dog, and some steam. My problem was I didn’t like Ana/Autumn. I thought she was too much of a martyr with her not wanting to get too close to anyone, including Lincoln who is the father to her child. And I thought he was too wimpy for not making a stand soon enough.

I’m ahead of myself here. Autumn is in the Witness Protection Program after not only witnessing a man dumping a body in a dumpster, but taking pictures of the bad guy, too and handing them over to the police. The guy who dumped the body had a rich daddy and had never had any sort of accountability…you get the idea. Autumn has been moved around and wants to stay in Verona Bay now. She’s got friends, a job, and is tired of being isolated and now she’s pregnant by the guy next door.

Lincoln is the sheriff in town and has had his eye on Autumn for quite awhile. He caught her at a weak moment and they spent the night together. It happens. When he finds out that she’s pregnant, I really was hoping that he’d go all alpha on her and demand to protect her, but that didn’t happen. Rather he eased her into the idea of being with him, which isn’t a bad thing really, but I didn’t get the feeling that he was excited about being the father to a child he was having with a woman he barely knew. I can’t blame him, but I still give him more than a thumbs-up for sticking with her. I have to admit that I thought she was so much of a martyr and so self-absorbed that she would’ve been okay with raising the child by herself. She caught me as the type that likes to be a hero.

I liked Lincoln. How could I not? He was a real stand-up guy, conscientious, and just an overall good person. I just wish he’d ended up with someone else. 

As for the rest of the book, I didn’t feel these two falling in love. I saw the lust and the sex scenes were really hot, but I didn’t feel the love. I also didn’t get a look at Lincoln, either. There really wasn’t a physical description of him and I need that to connect with a character. There was more of a description of Autumn, but not much. 

Regardless, the story is actually very good. It’s suspenseful, had some action in it especially toward the end, and a nice twist that I didn’t see coming. I liked Lincoln, tolerated Autumn, but loved the end despite it all.

*I received a free copy of this book and voluntarily left a review.

Purchase at Amazon: https://amzn.to/3ki2jMN

Book Review: The Lady’s Guide to Mistletoe and Mayhem by Emmanuelle de Maupassant

FOUR STARS

Ursula is an independent woman, who doesn’t need a man to make her happy–doesn’t really want one. She’s been groomed to take over her father’s business of making shoes and boots in a factory setting. She’d learned it all. Her father passed too soon and her inheritance was kept in the hands of her uncle, who sold her father’s part of the business and he was managing her funds until she turned 25 or married. That didn’t fly with her and after a blow-up with him, she left and boarded a train headed for Scotland. She wanted to visit her friend, whom she hadn’t seen in a great while.

A situation occurred on the train that changed everything for her. She took a new name and a new job as being governess to an errant child, who needed to be taught proper social etiquette. He was to enter society. Well, that errant child was a full-grown man from Texas, Rye Dalreagh. 

I have to admit that I was taken in by Rye’s demeanor, his speech, the fact that he was six foot five, his chivalry, and honor. But I hated his first name. Rye is a type of wheat, bread, and whiskey to me. Whatever. It didn’t kill the story. Nothing did. I actually liked the story quite a lot. It’s got an element of ghosts and the supernatural mixed in with some suspense and a killer on the loose. McTavish at the end blew my mind. What wasn’t to like?

There was just one thing that was lacking for both characters. I didn’t get a clear picture of either of them. Physical characteristics of any character is vital for me to bond with them. I need to see what they look like. I got some descriptions, but not enough. It surprised me that I enjoyed the story as much as I did without that key element. 

Aside from that, the book is a good four-star read.

* I won this book in a giveaway

Purchase at Amazon: https://amzn.to/2GQlHCj

Book Review: Micah and Layne Get Short: 15 Thriller Stories by Jim Heskett

FIVE STARS

As a general rule, I don’t like short stories. They seem to lack depth in the plots and character development. There’s just not enough time to make it all come together. With the lack of plot and characterization comes boredom then I’m out like a light.

Fortunately, that wasn’t the case of this collection. I liked every one of them. Some of the characters I was familiar with, some were new to me. The stories ranged from suspense to thriller to comedy, each with their own dynamic and uniqueness. None of them needed to be longer, which surprised me. They lacked nothing.

I give this book five stars.

*I received a free copy of this book and voluntarily left a review.

See below for my reviews of the individual stories.
~~~~~~

Eat the Bear
A Micah & Serena Novella

Who would have thought that Micah and Serena would make such a great team? I guess I kind of figured they would, but she does all of her work with Layne Parrish who is in Paris for the next few weeks. 

The story starts out with Dallas, a female assassin scoping out a river boat casino in New Orleans. Her hit is Kellen McBriar, Michael McBriar aka Micah Reed’s brother. Kellen has crossed the wrong people and they’re angry. She doesn’t have a whole lot of time to get the job done, but being a greedy glory monger, she decides to set her sights on Micah, too. Despite his disguise, she recognized him in the casino as he tries to find his brother. Not contact him. He just wants to protect him.

But nothing is ever that easy for Micah. He and Serena combine their efforts to quietly subdue Dallas and her unwanted accomplice, Alabama. They don’t want to bring any attention to themselves, and Micah can never let Kellen know that he’s alive and that he saved him from being murdered.

I really loved this story. It was fast paced, unpredictable, and had an ending that had me in tears. I don’t think I’ve ever read a lonelier character than Micah Reed. My heart broke into a million pieces for him.

Now that the sob fest is over, on to… 

Game Day
A Layne & Micah Novella

I first read and reviewed this story back in November 2019. It was part of an anthology called Dead of Winter and several authors had contributed to the book, which was a five-star read overall, in case you’re wondering.

I was pretty happy to see it again in this book because I’m such an avid fan of Layne Parrish and Micah Reed and the story is so good. I love these two characters so much. 

What stood out for me the first time I read it is much the same as it was when I read it again. The friendship between these two is unbelievably strong. If I had a friend who would take a hit for me like Layne did for Micah, I don’t know what I would do. 

Not only is there some witty banter between the two as they wait for a Christmas Day basketball game to start, Layne asks Micah if Micah is okay with Layne getting a beer. Anybody who has read Micah Reed knows that he’s an alcoholic. I thought that was considerate of Layne and only a true friend would even think of that. But as the story unfolds and the action starts on the court—and we aren’t talking about basketball action, folks—does the depth of their friendship become apparent. I don’t want to say too much to avoid spoilers, but this is a story that is filled with action, suspense, is white-knuckled to the end, and a true testament of the relationship between Layne Parrish and Micah Reed.

That is all.

Micah Goes on a Date
A Micah Reed Long Short

Lonely Micah Reed going on a date? What could be better? He hasn’t been on a real date in years. It’s time for him to get some female companionship.

Swanky restaurant? Check 
Numerous glasses of water? Check 
Sweaty palms? Check 
His date is late? Check

When he first meets Elise, his blind date, he can’t believe his luck. She’s Barbie doll gorgeous with blonde hair and a shiny red dress. The problem was he was competing with her phone for attention. Then it turned into a real sh*t show. 

It was so the luck of Micah to have this date go like this. I almost laughed at the loser-ness of it all. But Micah wasn’t a loser. Not really. He was acting on good faith and put himself out there because he was lonely, although that isn’t mentioned at all in the story. I know that because I’ve read every Micah Reed story ever written (I think). I was hoping for a happily ever after with this slick chick, but it just wasn’t meant to be. Then he thinks it’s not the worst date he’s ever been on. I’d hate to see what was.

The Layne Parrish Restaurant Stories
Five stories that all begin with the same scenario

All the stories start with Layne stomping snow from his boots in the doorway of the Firehouse restaurant in South Fork. He wants a table and not a booth, except in Story 3 where he requests a booth, and picks up the menu from between the ketchup and mustard dispensers. After that, every story is different with different endings.

I don’t feel as if I can review these stories individually. They aren’t long at all and to say anything about them would be giving spoilers. Suffice it to say, they don’t call Layne Parrish “Boy Scout” for nothing.

I’ll be Right Back
Harry & Serena

Harry Boukadakis is a computer dude and works behind the scenes with Layne Parrish and Serena Rojas, and Daphne Kurek.

In this particular short story, he’s driving Serena through the countryside and has no idea why. She finally tells him to stop behind a pool hall. She’s doing some personal business while he waits in the car. He watches her and it’s all good until one of the men she subdued decides to harass him and Harry has to pull a gun.

Okay, I laughed at Harry. I don’t know if I should’ve or not, but he reminded me of a little old lady who is trying to confront a robber with a gun that’s bigger than she is. Maybe it’s not that bad, but he was shaking, didn’t know if the gun was loaded, or if the safety was on or off…the guy who was harassing him ran off, begging Harry not to shoot him.

I don’t know why I thought this short story was so funny, but it made me laugh. Sorry, Harry. I still love ya, dude! 

By the way, I really love the title of this story. It was so spot on.

I Go by Tim

There’s actually a moral to this story. Be careful of what you say and who you say it to. Chances are it’s going to come back on you in spades. Maybe not today, or tomorrow, or even the next day, but everybody pays. 

The End

Instant Message
A Tucker Candle Short Story

You know when you send a nasty message to the wrong person and you know it’s going to create a serious problem if they see it? Yeah, that. Tucker Candle is one brave dude, ha ha!

Shots and Strippers
A Crime Short Story

This is a clever short story about four guys who are buddies and seem to be playing the simple drinking game of Quarters. At first, I thought these guys were office friends. You know, the type that stand around the water cooler and talk smack about the boss. It wasn’t like that at all. These guys are rougher and tougher and ultimately, are going to party with some strippers.

It all goes well until it doesn’t anymore. This is a story of revenge and jealousy and has a semi-happy ending.

Kill the King
A silly espionage thriller novella

This was a bizarre tale that had the feeling of being set in Medieval times, with the arrogance and domination of the king, his sons, a royal taste tester, a vast kitchen crew, that sort of thing, but it’s really set much more recently. We have guards speaking into their sleeves, guns, suits, etc. It was a hodge-podge for a setting, but I envisioned the king wearing a fur robe, a crown, and big buckled shoes while the royal taste tester was wearing a doublet and funky poofy pants and hose. It was archaic yet modern. It was a strange combination, but it worked.

The king really did need to die. He was a total narcissist and an egomaniac. He was vicious, cruel, cold, and even dumb. His kids weren’t much better, but they were such a minor part of the story and it didn’t matter.

I liked the story a lot. I wasn’t sure how it was going to end. Was the king really going to die or was he going to escape this?

Dalton and the Bear
A Reagan’s Ashes thriller novella

I have to admit that I’ve owned Reagan’s Ashes since 2017 and haven’t read it yet. Frankly, I forgot I had it. It’s now been moved closer to the top of my TBR list.

In this story, Dalton and Charlie, who are brothers, find themselves alone after Reagan, their cousin, took off on them during a backpacking trip. They meet up with a stranger who tags along with them until they run him off. What could go wrong?

One thing I wasn’t sure of was just how old these boys were. I know Dalton is out of high school, but Charlie seemed much younger. It probably doesn’t matter. Charlie has twisted his ankle and is having some mobility issues while Dalton comes in as the fierce, protective big brother.

I liked this story and it’s made me want to read the book.

Contraband: A Silly Story of Suspense

This started out on an eerie note with a lone woman going to the movies. She’s obviously frightened and apprehensive of what, I didn’t know. She’s paranoid, looking around…you get the idea. I thought she might have a bomb or something in her purse. I didn’t know what her deal was, but I soon found out and burst out laughing. I was surprised at the whole deal and what her name was. I won’t say anything else other than the author is right!

Purchase at Amazon: https://amzn.to/34t58nz