Pretending to Dance by Diane Chamberlain

Molly Arnette is very good at keeping secrets. She lives in San Diego with a husband she adores, and they are trying to adopt a baby because they can't have a child on their own. But the process of adoption brings to light many questions about Molly's past and her family--the family she left behind in North Carolina twenty years before. The mother she says is dead but who is very much alive. The father she adored and whose death sent her running from the small community of Morrison's Ridge. Her own birth mother whose mysterious presence in her family raised so many issues that came to a head. The summer of twenty years ago changed everything for Molly and as the past weaves together with the present story, Molly discovers that she learned to lie in the very family that taught her about pretending. If she learns the truth about her beloved father's death, can she find peace in the present to claim the life she really wants?

Review: I was given an ARC of Pretending to Dance from NetGalley for an honest review and this my review.
Ok the thing that I could not deal with about this book was how Multiple Sclerosis was portrayed and how the character with it dealt with his illness. I have this illness myself and I realize this book was set in the 90's when there were not as many groundbreaking treatments out there that there are now but I am so sick of how every book, television show and movie portrays MS as a death sentence because if the only thing you know about MS is what you see from these media sources and you are told you have this illness you figure you might as well die now. I am so sick of reading and watching this gloom and doom crap all the time and this book was no different.
I may have been too focused on MS part of the book to really enjoy the rest. But for me the book was only okay. The main character Molly was screwed up from what happened in her childhood and was unable to move on because she blamed her mother for her father's death. To me Molly was a brat and even as an adult she felt she was entitled to keep her secrets from her husband.
This book was a typical wife keeps secrets from husband, someone has MS so of course the have zero quality of life, huge misunderstanding type book. Very predictable and disappointing so I am giving it three out of five stars.

Right By Your Side (Martin Ranch #1) by Christi Snow

Best Female Country Artist. Sold out world-wide tour. Record-setting album sales. It’s been a stellar year for Skye Taylor and it’s left her exhausted. All she wants to do is go home to Oklahoma, curl up in her little house, and veg out in pj’s with a pile of junk food. But when her tour bus crashes in the middle of West Texas, her priorities suddenly shift. Now she’s sitting bedside hoping her best friend and bodyguard, KC, survives. 
For Scott Martin, he simply wants this horrible year to end. After the murder of his brother, his family is falling apart. With one crisis after another pulling him back to the family ranch, he’s put way too many late night miles on his truck between his family home and Lubbock, where he works as a paramedic. When he comes upon the wrecked tour bus, he has no idea this is one emergency which will change his life forever.
Skye and Scott quickly form a friendship which hints at possibilities of more. But as these two dodge paparazzi, over-zealous label executives, and stalker fans, they soon discover that everything is easier when you have someone you trust RIGHT BY YOUR SIDE. And that becomes even more important when they discover the bus wreck wasn’t an accident…

Review: I was given a copy of Right By Your Side from NetGalley for an honest review and this is my review.
Let me say first that this book had it all a bit of everything sexually including some talk of gay and bisexual relationships so if you cannot handle that and do not want to read those kind of books please do not pick this book up. With that being said if you can handle adult content this was a very well written book.
I enjoyed both Scott and Skye as characters and thought they were well suited for each other once they got over all the mixed signals in the beginning of the book. I also found the entire Martin family interesting and can't wait for more of the series to come out.
The mystery part of the book was also well written. I can honestly say I had no idea who was trying to kill Skye until the end of the book so to me that makes a great story if I am unable to figure out who the bad guy is.
I am also looking forward to Josh and KC's story even though m/m romance is not something I would normally pick up but I found myself liking both of these gentlemen in this book and would like to see hope KC recovers from his injuries and if Josh is the one for him.
Overall, this was a very good book. I am giving it four out of five stars.  

Shadow Play (Eve Duncan #19) by Iris Johansen

An explosive new Eve Duncan thriller from the New York Times #1 bestselling author
Eve Duncan is the most sought-after artist in the field of forensic sculpting. Dedicated to her work ever since her daughter Bonnie was taken and killed at the age of seven, Eve feels a sense of duty to those whose lives were lost and whose bones are now in her hands. When a sheriff in California contacts her with a request for help on the reconstruction of the skull of a nine-year-old girl whose body has been buried for eight years, his intensity and investment in the case puzzle her. But when the ghost of the girl begins communicating with her, Eve finds herself wrapped up in the case more intensely than she could have ever imagined. Not since Bonnie has Eve had such an experience, and suddenly she finds herself determined to solve the murder and help the little girl find peace. Except that the killer is still out there, and he knows Eve is on the case. And he won’t rest until anything and anyone that could reveal his identity is eliminated...

Review: I was given a copy of Shadow Play from NetGalley for an honest review and this is my review.
All I can say is OMG. Even though I had an inkling about how this book was going to end because Johansen has been hinting at it for awhile it still blew my mind to see it in print. I loved it and that is all I am going to say because I am not going to share spoilers.
As for the rest of this book it was another excellent Eve Duncan book. To me this series seems to get better with each book and this was not an exception. The chemistry with Eve and Joe was perfect and it is always nice when characters from previous books come back to help with current cases. This particular case was very interesting and had a new dimension for Eve that made her character all that more stronger.
This an outstanding book that would get nothing other then five out of five stars and be put on a must read list.

Hear No Lies (Lucy Kendall .5) by Stacy Green

She’s covered in blood and on the run.

Months before the events of ALL GOOD DEEDS (Book 1 of the Lucy Kendall thriller series), Lucy Kendall is still adjusting to her secret life as a vigilante killer of pedophiles. She’s circling her next target when a desperate teenager begs for help finding a friend lost in the foster care system. 
Jaded and still stung from her experiences with Child Protective Services, Lucy searches for the missing girl and discovers the teen’s foster parent lying dead in his kitchen. 
Lucy knows the police will arrest first and ask questions later. Determined to save the runaway before she hurts someone else, Lucy sets off on her own investigation. 
The stakes are high, and the consequences may be too dire to survive.

Review: I was given given a copy of Hear No Lies for an honest review and this is my review
I really enjoyed this novella because it was in insight in what makes Lucy Kendall tick and why she became the female serial killer that kills in the name of good that she is in her other books. This was a nice introduction to Lucy and her way of thinking.
In this book her legitimate case was trying to help find a girl who fell through the cracks of Child Protective Services, the agency Lucy left because she did not like how things were getting done and felt she could get more done on her own. I am not going to give you any spoilers but this case has a number of twist and turns that keep Lucy busy and away from her sideline job of taking out the trash her own personal way. Mind you the trash she takes out is sex offenders that can't stop.
This novella is a must read if you want to know the origins of how Lucy Kendall got her start. I am giving this novella five out of five stars.

Takes Two to Tackle (Santa Fe Bobcats #3) by Jeanette Murray

Football player Stephen Harrison has hit rock bottom—he’s fresh out of rehab, lost too much weight to be an effective offensive lineman, and has no support system in place. The Bobcats staff suggests he get a life coach to keep him sober and get him back into playing shape, but Stephen says his girlfriend will help. Too bad he doesn’t have one...
Luckily for Stephen, he does have a housekeeper. Margaret has always dreamed of starting her own elite cleaning service, and the money Stephen offers her to play the part of girlfriend is too good to pass up. But while Mags is helping Stephen bulk up and get ready for training camp, she can’t seem to block the feelings crashing into her heart. And one night of passion will pull both of their heads out of the game.

 

Review: I was given an ARC of Takes Two to Tackle from NetGalley for an honest review and this is my review.
This is the first book I have read in this series and I really enjoyed it and the characters and will be looking for past and future books in the series. With that said I loved Stephen and Margaret "Mags" story. They were so well suited for each and their story was so well written I wanted more when I finished the page of the book.
I loved the story as well. I found myself laughing out loud at times at things Mags said or did. I absolutely adored that character. She had so much spunk to stand up to the big bad football player and take no crap I just loved it.
This was a very well written romance book that had great romance story but I also loved the true friendship between all the characters as well and how well that was portrayed in this story as well. I am giving this book five out of five stars

Runaway (Retrieval, Inc. #1) by J.B. Schroeder

If she can’t stay hidden, she must run—again.
Sixteen-year-old Laura Macnamara walked out her backdoor and disappeared without a trace. Six years later, while looking for his missing teenage sister, Detective Mitch Saunders uncovers a disturbing link between the two cases. His search leads straight to Laura—all grown up and posing as Charlie Hart. Despite their instant attraction and the ever-present danger to his sister, Charlie refuses to help him. Still terrified and guarding secrets, she cannot afford to face the past. Yet Mitch will stop at nothing to bring his sister home—and that includes exposing Charlie to a truly sinister evil.

Review: I was given a copy of Runaway from NetGalley for an honest review and this is my review.
This book was a very well written suspense book with some very heavy subject matter that was handled extremely well. When I read a book that deals with pedophiles I get really nervous about how the author is going to handle it and Schroeder did a great job that added to this book and made me a fan of her writing style.
I really enjoyed this book and the story. It was something new and fresh that a lot of authors would not touch in a romantic suspense book and I loved it. The fact we were dealing with a pedophile and also a young drug addict as two characters in this book it was a different level and dimension.
Then there was Charlie and Mitch whom I loved together. They were like fire and ice at time but when they got together they were great.
I am giving this book four out of five stars and am looking forward to second book in the series.

Shadow Fall (Tracers #9) by Laura Griffin

In the ninth romantic suspense novel in the New York Times bestselling Tracers series, author Laura Griffin brings back her elite cadre of forensic experts as they hunt down the most brutal serial killer yet.

Special Agent Tara Rushing arrives at a grisly murder scene and quickly discovers she’s got a serial killer on her hands. The killer is meticulous, making sure to wipe up even the smallest traces of evidence…but the Delphi Center experts are on the case.
The local sheriff has a suspect all picked out—ex-Marine and current security expert Liam Wolfe. Despite all her digging, Tara knows very little about Liam when she shows up at his sprawling Texas compound, which serves as headquarters for Wolfe Securities, and she’s surprised by her intense physical reaction to him.
As she and Liam grow closer, Tara finds herself depending on his skills and expertise to help her track a killer. But when another body turns up, Tara must decide if she can trust the man who’s quickly stealing her heart.

Review: I was given an ARC of Shadow Fall for an honest review and this is my review.
What can I say Laura Griffin's new book for the Tracer's series was definitely worth the wait. I honestly thought I had it all figured out who the killer was but in true Griffin fashion she totally proved me wrong and had me thinking she did it to me again and that is why I love her books. She always keeps the reader guessing and throws something unexpected at you.
I also loved the pairing of Liam and Tara. They were so dynamic together you could feel them sizzling through the pages of the book. Then they also had their tender moments as well that just sort of melted the reader with how tender the big bad Marine could be towards the woman he was falling for. For me it was a perfect match and very well developed.
The mystery part of the book I also enjoyed as I mentioned before it had me baffled. It progressed smoothly and the Delta Center was used nicely in the book to keep some much loved characters used. Very well done and a true edge of your seat who did it kind of story.
Needless to I am giving Shadow Fall five out of five stars.