Secret of Flirting

The Secret of Flirting (Sinful Suitors #5)- Sabrina Jeffries
Pocket Books/Simon & Schuster
Release Date: March 27, 2018

Rating:
📚📚📚📚

Warning: Potential Spoilers Ahead!

Synopsis: The moment spymaster Baron Fulkham meets the stunning Princess Aurore of Chanay, he's positive her royal persona is a ruse and that she's actually Monique Servais, the mysterious actress he met three years before in Dieppe. But as he pursues his suspicions, he uncovers a plot of attempted assassination and betrayal that could very well destroy his career, expose his own secrets...and ruin the woman he's rapidly coming to love.

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When Baron Gregory Fulkham and actress Monique Servais first meet he's condescending and she's insulted.  Three years later he's helping hold the international conference that will choose the first ruler of an independent Belgium and she's playing the role of a lifetime: her nearly twin cousin Princess Aurore of Chanay and a strong contender for Belgium's throne. Fulkham is almost sure its the same woman, but why is the Chanay contingent calling her a princess? He needs to discover Monique's secrets, try to protect his own, prevent an international incident, and an assassination attempt all without falling for a woman who, as a princess or an actress, is completely wrong for a wife. And that's before things get complicated!

From the very beginning Monique defies all conventions- society's and those of a stereotypical actress. She doesn't want to meet rich and titled English lords who fall for her beauty on stage.  She wants to work hard and take care of her ailing grandmother.  When Fulkham, both rich and titled, claims tragedies are the only real theater after she's just professed to enjoy comedies (and just acted in one!) she doesn't keep her opinions to herself but lets him have it with no hesitation. When her great-uncle appears claiming he needs her to do him a favor, she doesn't want his money or connections- she just wants her grandmother taken care of.  Where most actresses would see playing a real life princess the role of a lifetime, she sees a disaster in the making.  Monique is realistic, loyal, brave, and intelligent- everything Gregory Fulkham needs.

Fulkham is the shadowy spymaster friend we've met in previous Sinful Suitors books, but know almost nothing about- and here we find out why.  Fulkham battles demons from his childhood by trying to lock himself away from the world and the potential for being hurt again.  It was delightful to watch Monique get past all his defenses without even trying, and equally delightful to watch him come to grips with his emotions and work out how to save his job and reputation AND have Monique for a wife.  And of course, his friends are more than happy to watch him fall to their level: that of a man deeply in love!

I enjoyed reading about a moment in history I hadn't even considered asking about before: how did Prince Leopold become King of the Belgiums? Even a version with a bit of a romantic fictional twist to it was more than I'd ever thought of before and definitely makes me interested to learn more about it.  But even if you don't care about the history, or haven't read any of the rest of the Sinful Suitors series before, you'll love The Secret of Flirting.  Fast-paced, with sparkling dialogue, plenty of wit and delightful characters, Jeffries' newest succeeds in keeping you glued to the page from first to last!

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review 

Fast Burn

Fast Burn (Body Armor Series)- Lori Foster
HQN Books
Release Date: March 20, 2018

Rating:
📚📚📚📚

Warning: Potential Spoilers Ahead!

Synopsis:  The moment Brand Berry meets beautiful, driven Sahara Silver, the connection between them is electric. It’s also something he can’t pursue. Sahara wants him, sure—to join Body Armor, where his MMA skills, size and cocky attitude make him perfect for her elite crew of bodyguards. For Sahara, the agency always comes first, and Brand needs more. Yet when she’s kidnapped by men searching for her missing brother, he doesn’t hesitate.

Somewhere along the way, flirting with Brand for the sake of business turned very personal. Despite his refusal to join Body Armor, it’s Brand who steps up when Sahara needs him most. Now there’s no more time for games, and no point denying the hunger they both feel. They’ll escape together or not at all. But if they survive, can Sahara finally surrender control to claim this blazing passion?

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Sahara Silver has always been convinced that her brother Scott isn't dead- despite all evidence to the contrary.  She's sure she would feel it if he was gone and has always tried to look at inheriting his Body Armor agency as keeping it in trust until he comes back.  Of course, she doubts he'd agree with some of her decisions- like hiring sexy ex-MMA fighters as body guards.  One particularly sexy, not quite ex-fighter she hasn't succeeded in hiring is Brand Berry.  He's interested, and he likes her, but she hasn't managed to seal the deal.  When she gets kidnapped by men looking for her brother Sahara is thrilled to know someone besides her thinks Scott is still alive- but not so thrilled at the danger she's in now.  Brand and his friends come to the rescue, and now its up to all of them to keep Sahara safe and find out what is going on before it's too late!

Readers of the Body Armor series (Close Contact, Hard Justice, Under Pressure) have been waiting for Sahara and Brand's story for awhile now.  It's obvious where the sparks between the two should lead- but how to get them there?  Sahara is a tough woman who's used to always being in control, Brand's a confident man who uses control to win his fights.  Both have to learn how to give and take to make a relationship work.  I liked how well Foster balanced Sahara's being the boss of a male dominated agency with Brand's convincing her she didn't have to be the boss outside of work as well- and she was allowed to have more of a life than just work!  That she could be a strong woman but still compromise in her private life.  He made it clear to her that he stood behind her when it was work related, and he wouldn't try to take control from her.  It was hard for Sahara to find that balance, and I wish we'd seen a little more of the relationships in her past that made her the way she is now, but by the end we saw enough of her relationship with Scott to make her attitude pretty understandable.  But Foster continues to give us strong, likable female (and male) characters who learn to balance toughness with softer emotions like love and be better for it by the end of the book.

The mystery behind Scott's disappearance and Sahara's kidnapping gets interesting and twisted, and without giving anything away I wonder if we'll be seeing more of Ross- the ringleader behind the kidnapping.  Fast Burn is a fast-paced page turner full of Foster's usual blend of wonderful characters, witty dialogue, and intriguing suspense.  While readers new to the series won't feel lost starting with this book (each in the series is stand alone), long-time readers will be happy to see characters they already know pop up along the way.  

A great book to end the Body Armor series.  Can't wait to see what Lori Foster has in store for us next!

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Duchess Deal

The Duchess Deal- Tessa Dare
Avon/HarperCollins
Release Date: August 27, 2017

Rating:
📚📚📚📚📚

Synopsis: Since his return from war, the Duke of Ashbury’s to-do list has been short and anything but sweet: brooding, glowering, menacing London ne’er-do-wells by night. Now there’s a new item on the list. He needs an heir—which means he needs a wife. When Emma Gladstone, a vicar’s daughter turned seamstress, appears in his library wearing a wedding gown, he decides on the spot that she’ll do.

His terms are simple:
- They will be husband and wife by night only.
- No lights, no kissing.
- No questions about his battle scars.
- Last, and most importantly… Once she’s pregnant with his heir, they need never share a bed again.

But Emma is no pushover. She has a few rules of her own:
- They will have dinner together every evening.
- With conversation.
- And unlimited teasing.
- Last, and most importantly… Once she’s seen the man beneath the scars, he can’t stop her from falling in love…

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Returned from Waterloo scarred both physically and mentally, the Duke of Ashbury has decided he needs an heir.  When his fiancee drops him because of his scars and her seamstress shows up at the ducal residence demanding payment for a finished wedding gown, Ash decides she'll do.  Emma at first thinks he's making fun of her, but she's desperate and before she knows it, she's the new Duchess of Ashbury.  Emma doesn't mind Ash's scars but she does refuse to fall in exactly with Ash's plans.  She won't be a wife in bed only.  She's determined to push Ash back into enjoying life, and before she knows it, she's fallen in love with him.  Will Ash break her heart or learn to love again?

The Duchess Deal takes the familiar romance trope of a poor but genteel woman who enters into a marriage of convenience with an obscenely rich nobleman and gives it a refreshing, fun reboot as only Tessa Dare can do.  Emma may be alone in the world, but she refuses to let life's trials beat her down.  She hides her fears, whether she's facing down a strange duke or admitting that she loves him.  Few women, no matter how desperate to get paid, would show up at the home of a duke who has just had his betrothal ended and demand that she pay for his former fiancee's gown.  Fewer still would show up wearing the dress- and then not kill the man who compares her creation to "unicorn vomit". When Ash snaps at her or tells her she can call him 'Duke' if she has to be familiar, she starts keeping lists of the most ridiculous pet names she can come up with to call him. 

Ash is a deeply wounded hero who tries to retreat from the world to protect himself.  He's listened to a few people tell him he's a monster and so he refuses to believe he could be anything else.  He tries to keep Emma at an impersonal distance, rejecting her before she can reject him.  He fights her every step of the way as she drags him back to being himself.  But his wicked sense of humor and basic decency still manage to come through- like when he pretends to be a demon and menaces Emma's vicar father.

Tessa Dare (Do You Want to Start a Scandal?) gives us another gift with The Duchess Deal: delightful characters, sparkling wit, and her trademark brilliant sense of humor.  This fast-paced enjoyable read will captivate you from page one and refuse to let you go. August's release of the next book in this series (The Governess Game) can't come soon enough! A must read for Tessa Dare fans, romance fans, and everyone looking for a good book!

Burn Bright

Burn Bright (Alpha & Omega #5)- Patricia Briggs
Ace/Penguin Group
Release Date: March 6, 2018

Rating:
📚📚📚

Warning: Spoilers Ahead!

Synopsis: They are the wild and the broken. The werewolves too damaged to live safely among their own kind. For their own good, they have been exiled to the outskirts of Aspen Creek, Montana. Close enough to the Marrok's pack to have its support; far enough away to not cause any harm.

With their Alpha out of the country, Charles and Anna are on call when an SOS comes in from the fae mate of one such wildling. Heading into the mountainous wilderness, they interrupt the abduction of the wolf--but can't stop blood from being shed. Now Charles and Anna must use their skills--his as enforcer, hers as peacemaker--to track down the attackers, reopening a painful chapter in the past that springs from the darkest magic of the witchborn...

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With the Marrock out of town, werewolves Charles and Anna are in charge of their pack- which means when trouble arises, they're the ones who have to deal with it.  Someone is making trouble for the most damaged of their pack members, hunting them, and killing them.  Charles and Anna will have to use all their skills and trust in each other to solve the problem because something even worse than death is stalking them now.

I ended up having very mixed reactions to this book, which surprised me.  I'll start by admitting, I haven't read all the books in the Alpha and Omega series yet.  The short story that started it off ("Alpha and Omega" in On the Prowl) is a favorite of mine, although I've only followed it up with the first two books in the series so far.  So it was frustrating reading Burn Bright when things would get referred to that happened in one of the earlier books (or Briggs' Mercy Thomson series) but Briggs never filled out what those events were, so you were left not sure if it was important or not. There were also a lot of things happening that I never figured out if they were red herrings or actually important: why were there so many surveillance devices hidden around Jonsey and Hester's home? How did the people planting them never get caught when werewolves are supposed to be so sensitive? Was it a coincidence that Anna knew several of the attackers from her time in Chicago or was there something else going on there that I never figured out?  Was some of what was happening so subtle and tricky I wasn't smart enough to figure it out, or did it leave everyone confused?

The beginning of Burn Bright got off to a slow start- strange because we start with an attack on a werewolf and a Fae.  I kept waiting for Hester, and especially Jonsey, and their pasts to become more important to the story.  Jonsey had a house full of hoarded Fae artifacts after all!  By the end of the book I still had no idea if some of the loose threads to the story were going to be picked up in the next book or were just never going to be dealt with, which was frustrating.  Nearly three quarters of the way through the book I was still waiting for things to really get started.  But when things got going it was impossible to put the book down until the last page.  You figure out pretty much at the same time as Anna and Charles who the bad guys are and I was just as surprised as they were!  

There was a lot of unnecessary repetition throughout the book, although as much as some things were explained over and over there were other things that seemed to be dropped.  I think the reader would definitely get more out of this book if they read the rest of the series first.  If you're like me and dropping into this series late in the game I think you have to just accept that you're not going to follow all of it completely and enjoy the book for what it is- a book you'll understand more the second time around, after reading the rest of the series.  But for all its frustrating bits, Burn Bright was very clever and compelling, with some wonderfully dry and witty humor, and made sure that once you got caught in its spell, you didn't want to come out.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Claiming Felicity

Claiming Felicity (Ace Security #4)- Susan Stoker
Montlake Romance/Amazon Digital Services
Release Date: February 27, 2018

Warning: Potential Spoilers!

Rating:
📚📚📚📚

Synopsis: Former mercenary Ryder Sinclair’s stunning discovery that he has three half brothers in Castle Rock, Colorado, is giving them all the chance to color in the spaces of their tragic pasts. For Ryder, establishing roots is made all the more desirable by Felicity Jones. But if Ryder’s instincts are correct, this breathtaking beauty is in trouble.

Castle Rock isn’t Felicity’s home. Like her false identity, it’s just a cover. All she wants is enough cash to keep moving to another temporary hideaway—to stay on the run from a secret that’s haunted her for years. As safe as Ryder’s strong embrace makes her feel, she fears that falling for him, and staying in Colorado, will put everyone she’s come to love in danger.

The more Ryder learns about Felicity, the more determined he is not to let her go. It’s time for her to stop running—even as a relentless danger closes in, threatening their love and their lives.

____________________________________________________________

When Ryder Sinclair discovers he has three half brothers, he knows his life is going to change.  What he doesn't expect is to meet the woman of his dreams at the same time.  Felicity has known the Anderson brothers for years and joked that it was too bad there weren't four of them so she could have one too.  Now it seems there are four of them and the newest one has declared himself hers.  The timing couldn't be worse for Felicity, who's just discovered the stalker she thought she'd outrun has caught up with her. Ryder convinces her not to run again, but can he and his new brothers keep Felicity safe from her past?

Anyone who's read the rest of Stoker's Ace Security series has been hoping for Felicity's story and now here it is.  We get to see behind the tough exterior to the Felicity underneath: a woman so afraid of the ghosts of her past that she is constantly ready to run, lives off the grid as much as possible, and tries never to get close to anyone.  But she's been in Castle Rock for five years and become close to the Anderson brothers and their wives.  Leaving them would break her heart, but when threatening notes from an old stalker show up, she's ready to do it to keep them safe.  Ryder is a tough enough mercenary that he makes her feel safe, like she might have a chance staying in Castle Rock.  He's refreshingly honest about himself and his work and lays it out in a way that makes you like him even more.  You would trust Ryder even as you feel badly for the things he's seen and done over the course of his career. He doesn't brag, and there's nothing macho or testosterone fueled about who he is or what he does.  

While the insta-love Ryder feels for Felicity struck me as being more what I'd expect from a paranormal romance case of true mates than a contemporary romance love-at-first-sight, somehow Stoker makes it work. The reader accepts it as easily as Ryder does- though Felicity understandably has a few doubts.  Similarly, the relationship between the Anderson brothers and Ryder develops in a very natural and realistic way.  Neither side accepts the other completely at the beginning, and both sides are a little uncertain how to separate their parents's past actions from the present.  Felicity's stalker, Joseph, was a deeply creepy nut job and after learning a bit about how he's attacked her in the past it's much more understandable that Felicity would try to run than to turn to friends for help- even security expert friends. 

Claiming Felicity may be one of Stoker's best books to-date.  The emotions are raw and intense, the action is fast-paced, and the bad guy is terrifying. The book is stand-alone, although having read the other Ace Security books helped me with fully understanding the brothers and their interactions with Ryder.  There are a few brief cameos from some of Stoker's other books (Shelter for Sophie) but again, they were more cases of smiling when you realized who they were than people who's books you need to have already read.  And we get some tantalizing teasers of the group who will be a future series! All in all, a great book and one that leaves you wanting to read past series while you wait for the next one.    

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Shot on Gold

Shot on Gold (Play by Play series)- Jaci Burton
Berkley/Penguin Group
Release Date: February 13, 2018

Rating:
📚📚📚

Warning: Potential Spoilers Ahead!

Synopsis:  Will "Mad Dog" Madigan is making his second trip to the Winter Games, and he couldn't be happier. Hockey is his life and playing for the U.S. team is a privilege. Then he meets U.S. figure skater Amber Sloane. She's beautiful, ambitious and driven--everything Will desires in a woman. He would love to show Amber how hot life off the ice can be. 

Amber has skated her entire life, sacrificing everything in the hopes of one day winning gold. Now she's competing for the third and final time. She intends to win, and nothing's going to get in her way--until she meets Will. He's an irresistible charmer, and before long Amber is wondering if this sexy hockey player is the perfect guy to show her some moves outside the rink.

But after all the medals have been awarded, Will and Amber will have to decide if what they have together is just a fling or a real shot at true love.

____________________________________________

Amber Sloane has focused on figure skating her entire life.  At 24, she knows this year's Olympics will be her last and she's determined to do things differently.  Instead of closing herself off she begins making friends and emerging from the isolated cocoon her mother has forced her to stay in her whole life.  Romance has never been in the plans, but hockey player Will Madigan may just change her mind.

Shot on Gold is a sweet romance out just in time for this year's Winter Olympics.  Burton captures the excitement and camaraderie of the athletes and readers get as caught up in the excitement of the games as they will watching their winter sport of choice.  Amber is a sweet girl who is experiencing many things for the first time- despite this being her third Olympics.  With a domineering stage mother pushing her nonstop, she's spent her whole life working towards a gold medal.  There are plenty of times you just want to slap her mother for her attitude, but Amber somehow manages to be friendly and normal despite her mother's example.  When Amber begins to fall in love with Will, she discovers that friendship and romance complete her and make her a better skater instead of distracting her as her mother fears.  But a relationship in the bubble of the Olympic village is different from in the real world and Amber isn't sure that will work.  Will is a guy with a refreshing attitude towards life: live hard, work hard, play hard, but be open to the idea of love because it's real.  He's seen it in his parents and is sure he'll find it for himself some day.  It frustrated me at the end that it looked like Will might not be willing to fight for a relationship with Amber, despite all his big talk.  When she gets cold feet, he accepts that and walks away instead of pushing back.  I was glad Amber was brave enough to (eventually) give them a chance, because they had a great chemistry between them and really brought out the best in each other.  

While a good story, Burton's writing was often repetitive and I found myself skimming some sections because of that. I also kept waiting for more of a conflict than ever really came up.  However,this was still a fin book.  Despite being part of a series, this is a stand alone book and readers won't need to have read any other books in the series to enjoy this one (I haven't, yet).  Shot on Gold was fast paced and fun, a light romantic read perfect to get readers in the mood for this year's Winter Olympic Games.  

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Shelter for Sophie

Shelter for Sophie (Badge of Honor: Texas Heroes Book 8)- Susan Stoker
Amazon Digital Services
Release Date: August 15, 2017

Rating:
📚📚📚📚

Synopsis: She’s shy, he’s stoic…not the hardest personality traits to overcome, but Sophie Carson and Roman “Chief” Proudfit have their work cut out for them.

Sophie has a crush on the silent-but-studly firefighter next door. She’s been pining away silently while secretly helping the hardworking man by mowing his lawn—which he thinks is being done by her nonexistent husband and/or boyfriend. He’s definitely not big on neighborly chitchat, but with her stutter, that suits Sophie just fine. But now a misunderstanding at a bar has put him even further out of her reach.

Roman’s difficult upbringing on an Indian reservation is a sore spot, so when he thinks Sophie is taking advantage of poor people for medical trials at her workplace, he lets her know exactly what he thinks. But when he discovers he misunderstood, he’s man enough to admit it…and also that he should have opened his eyes to his beautiful, sensitive neighbor sooner. 

As the couple gets closer, each helping the other overcome lifelong pains, for the first time in years, Roman has something to live for other than his job. And, as he discovers when Sophie puts herself in danger, something even bigger to lose… 

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Opposites attract when Sophie and her next door neighbor Roman "Chief" Proudfit connect.  Sophie's had a crush on her neighbor since he moved in a year ago but is too shy and insecure to do anything about it.  A lifelong stutter makes her self-conscious about meeting new people and she can't imagine why anyone as good looking as Chief would be into her.  Chief pretty much ignores his neighbor until he misunderstands something he overhears her say in a bar.  Sparks fly but can they overcome misunderstandings and danger to reach a happy ending?

Sophie is a sweet, likable woman who you can instantly relate to.  She's shy, and is convinced that no one could like her because she stutters. But she goes out of her way to help everyone she meets, from cutting her hot neighbor's grass when he's not home to buying food and blankets for homeless people who stay near her work.  I also really liked Chief, although in the beginning I wanted to smack him upside his head.  A firefighter who grew up on a reservation in New Mexico, Chief is sensitive about others being taken advantage of- and is convinced he's right all the time.  A misunderstanding about Sophie's work brings home to him that he might be more judgmental than he wants to be, and that he owes Sophie a big apology!  But he mans up and not only apologizes, but finds he wants to get to know his shy neighbor a whole lot better.

Shelter for Sophie was a great book, with delightful chemistry between Sophie and Chief.  Stoker obviously did her homework about Navajo culture and seamlessly blended pieces into the novel.  Both Sophie and Chief changed for the better as the book went on, becoming more comfortable not only with each other but also with themselves and their place in the world.  

Susan Stoker (Rescuing Kassie) is becoming a go-to author for me, and Shelter for Sophie didn't disappoint!  A part of the Badge of Honor series that follows a group San Antonio firefighters and law enforcement officers, but like most of Stoker's books it can be read as a standalone book.  If you like your firefighters hot and your heroes hotter, this is one for you!

I received this book from Instafreebie in exchange for an honest review