Monday, January 3, 2011

In Her Defense by Denise A. Agnew

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Erotic Romantic Suspense

Heart of Justice, Book 2

February 2009

Celeste Rice's life has been shattered by terrible violence more than once. Violence threatens to creep back into Celeste's world when her ex-boyfriend stalks her. When Celeste inherits her aunt's home, she decides to move back into her childhood neighborhood after long years away. Upon her prodigal return, she encounters old friend and long-time object of her desire, Mick MacGilvary at a charity event and knows that she is finally ready to pursue that heart-stopping attraction. She believes she'll stop craving him if she has sex with him once and gets it out of her system. She decides to test the wildfire attraction, even though Mick's violent past and his SWAT position frighten her.

Mick will do anything in her defense…

SWAT cop Mick MacGilvary's instincts tell him Celeste's ex-boyfriend has something evil up his sleeve. Mick's uneasy past with Celeste makes him gun-shy around her. His protective feelings for Celeste have never abandoned him. Ten years ago, Celeste rejected his advances, and he hasn't forgotten. The heavy-duty attraction he's always had for her ramps up now that she's near. Better yet, she's obviously interested in bedding him.

Danger lurks around the corner…

Caught up in a passion neither of them can deny, Mick and Celeste's strengths and weaknesses are tested when her ex-boyfriend decides if he can't have her, no one will.

There are lots of ways to tell you’ve read a good Romantic Suspense novel, good characters, good plot and a strong mystery. IN HER DEFENSE has all that, but it has the one thing that makes it an Excellent Romantic Suspense!

It’s excellent because from all most the very beginning we know who the bad guy is yet I was still twisted in knots as I read it. The reader know right away that Darrell is the bad guy. Celeste tells us when she asks Mick for help, we see it when he accosts her in the parking lot, yet I was still on the edge of my seat just waiting to see what Darrell was going to do. Added to that is I read this book before, I mean hello I know what’s going to happen, yet as I sat downstairs with my DH reading this novel while he watched the UFC fights I stopped to tell him just that.

There are so many good things about this book starting with Celeste, she is a survivor plain and simple, as her past is exposed to the reader you can’t help but feel for her. I can’t blame her for wanting to be in control of her life, for wanting to stand on her own and I applaud her for becoming the well adjusted woman she is. She should be disillusioned, she should be bitter and she just isn’t. My only beef with her was her refusal to move in with Mick as they tried to make Darrell go away, but that has more to do with me being a chicken then with Celeste’s choice.

Mick is in a word HOT! Course that’s just one word to describe him, he’s also loyal, protective, caring, handsome, sexy, dangerous and Alpha to the nth degree. Simply put he is just want I want in a Romantic Suspense hero, Brave and Sexy, oh boy I could go on and on about Mick. He can be so frustrating to Celeste and it does my little old heart good to see him struggle with his feelings for Celeste, his desire to do things his way and his desire to keep her safe.

The two of them clash in so many ways throughout IN HER DEFENSE and that is what adds to the tension of waiting for Darrell to strike. A fast paced novel with tummy churning suspense and steamy sex makes this novel a must read for anyone who loves a really excellent Romantic Suspense Novel.

IN HER DEFENSE is a 9.5 out of 10

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Promise Canyon by Robyn Carr *Spoilers*

Promise Canyon

THERE’S AN OLD SAYING:
WHENEVER ONE DOOR CLOSES, ANOTHER ONE OPENS.

THAT’S TRUER OF VIRGIN RIVER THAN ALMOST ANYWHERE ELSE ON EARTH.

After years spent on ranches around Los Angeles, Clay Tahoma is delighted to be Virgin River’s new veterinary assistant. The secluded community’s wild beauty tugs at his Navajo roots, and he’s been welcomed with open arms by everyone in town—everyone excerpt Lilly Yazhi.

Lilly has encountered her share of strong, silent, traditional men within her own aboriginal community, and she’s not interested in coming back for more. In her eyes, Clay’s earthy, sexy appeal is just an act used to charm wealthy women like his ex-wife. She can’t deny his gift for gentling horses, but she’s not about to let him control her. There’s just one small problem—she can’t control her attraction to Clay.

But in Virgin River, faith in new beginnings and the power of love has doors opening everywhere...

I’ve been anxiously awaiting this new release from Robyn for what feels like forever. I knew once I had it in my hot little hands or in this case on my nook reader for PC that I would devour it. Since I know myself best I was correct in my assumption. I read it in one day and I loved it. All my favorites were back Jack & Mel, Paige & Preacher, Shelby & Luke,we saw Mike, Art, Muriel and plenty of the town folks.

As usual the town has it’s ups and downs, once again someone has slipped off the curve that had Jack and Crew rescuing the school bus full of children, this time we find Noah and his truck have gone over the edge and thankfully the only thing damaged was his truck.

The main focus of this novel are Lilly and Clay, from the beginning at their first meeting I felt they were perfect for each other. Neither one of them is perfect and while their heritages are similar as well their teenage indiscretions, there experiences took very different paths. Path that forged them into the people they are today.

Clay embraced his Navajo upbringing and had him making mature decisions at the ripe old age of Seventeen. His first foray into young love brought Gabe into his life, being a young man with a young son quickly forces Clay into adulthood. It has him taking responsibility early on and makes the failure of his marriage some what difficult for him to deal with IMO. He left a bad situation with a clear conscience but he never really cut complete ties with Isabel and he soon finds out how his past can hurt his future.

Lilly on the other hand experienced the all to normal response from a young father who didn’t expect to be one, he ran as fast and as far as her could, breaking a young girls heart and leaving her to pick up the pieces. Lilly teen pregnancy did not have a happy outcome and that coupled with the abandonment of her parents and the death of her grandmother I was not surprised by her unwillingness to date or fall in love with Clay.

I was completely engrossed in this novel for so many reasons, Clay’s work with the horses is amazing as well as Lilly natural affinity for them as well. Annie and Nate are their since Clay works for them and it was great to see more of her vivacious and bubbly personality. Lilly’s grandfather is sprinkled throughout the book as well as the Toopek family from Robyn’s Grace Valley Series and they add to the family dynamic while showing the reader the diversities yet similarities to Native American Cultures.

While Clay and Lilly should be the focus of this review I find myself compelled to discuss the subplots because they affected me as much as the main story did.

This is where the *Spoilers* come in so do not read further unless you want some plot points exposed to you.

When Mel entered the bar to tell Jack that Hope had been found dead I was shocked and yet not, part of me knew she was getting older and that as much as I wanted her to she couldn’t live forever. When Jack found out she left him executor of her massive estate I wasn’t surprised she picked him. I knew that he would do the right thing, he always does in his own Jack way, even if it’s not the easiest course for him to take.

I was equally surprised that the town reacted the way they did, thinking of their own needs above that of the town, but then they are human and Boy Howdy did Hope have some money in the bank. She took care of the town and we find out why along with Jack and Crew, her late husband basically created the town. She lived in Virgin River her whole life and she did her very best by it. I was deeply sad she died and each time we return to Virgin River I know I will miss her.

The second shock for me was the news of Colin Riordan’s crash in his Black Hawk. I knew from reading the blurbs for the upcoming novels that he was injured, but recently one of the ladies on Robyn’s Yahoo group told us about her friend’s loss. She lost her grandson after he was injured over in Afghanistan and while I did not know him personally I was affected by his death. He, like Colin, fought for our freedom and his sacrifice can never be repaid. When Colin was injured and was hanging on for life, it reminded me again that our armed forces risk everything for us here at home. We forget that there coming home is more than just being here, that they have to relive their traumas over and over again and find away to live their lives. Colin’s addition to pain killers and his need to get back to his helicopter is not uncommon and I can’t wait to read his story later this year.

I’m not surprised though that Robyn touched me emotionally with PROMISE CANYON. Her writing may be of a fictional place but her stories and her characters are real, you can’t help but like them, worry about them and I for one am glad she keeps letting us visiting them. I wish she would have checked in on all my favorite VR people(Liz and Rick), but if she did her book would be 1000 pages long.

I already want to reread this novel and that’s saying a lot since I have waaayyyy too may TBR books in my pile.

PROMISE CANYON is a 9 out of 10

Saturday, January 1, 2011

Welcome to 2011!!!!

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Well it’s been a long year for me and my family, but all in all it was full of laughter and tears, up and downs just like life if supposed to be. I hope to blog more and keep track of my reading.

Thanks to all my favorite authors and all my yahoo group friends I’ve read tons of awesome books this year and have a list a mile long to read this year.

I have a few resolutions this year, but most of all I just want all my friends and family to be safe, happy and healthy this year.

1. My first resolution is to get back on track with my reading and blogging. I met so many awesome people through blogs and I want to get back to reading and reviewing as well as participating in all the TBR and other challenges on the net.

2. Save some money and be better about being prepared for the Holidays. This year I scrambled and was utterly unprepared for Thanksgiving and Christmas. This year I hope to be better.

3. I packed on some pounds this holiday season, so I need to get back on plan with Weight Watchers. Since I began WW I have lost 50 pounds. Since then I’ve gained back 12 lbs., my clothes are getting tight again and since I pitched the old clothes I grew out of I need to refocus.

4. Spend more time with the Hubby, our kids are getting older and it’s time we got to spend adult time together. I haven’t been on a date, a real date with Jim in probably 12 years. So I think we deserve it.

This list is short, but in the past I’ve had way to many goals and then I never seem to achieve any of them.

So what’s your New Years resolution? I‘d love to hear them.

Within His Sight by Denise A. Agnew

I wanted to feed my need for sexy cops and WITHIN HIS SIGHT fit the bill nicely as I waited for the ball to drop. It's a fast, sexy read that started my year off right. It has been languishing in my HUGE TBR pile and since it's book one in her Heart of Justice series I have three more yummy SWAT guys to read about. Denise A. Agnew never fails to deliver and I can't wait to read the rest of this series.

WITHIN HIS SIGHT gets a solid 8 out 10!