Former beauty queen turned physics professor meets hot Airforce pilot Lance on the day he is left at the altar. They kiss, but he runs off. They meet again at a catapult competition and again sparks fly. Both aren't looking for a commitment, but Lance is seriously into Kaci's energy, smarts, and her potato gun (not so much into her elderly cat Miss Higgs). Plus, Kaci needs to get over her fear of flying so she can attend an important conference in Germany that will help her secure tenure at the university she teaches at, so Lance seems like the perfect helper. Too bad he hasn't told her he deploys in a matter of weeks...

I seriously had a lot of fun reading this. The cover is pretty lame, but the characters are smartly written and had great, sassy dialogue and awesome chemistry. It is also splendid to see a scientist heroine, and the perils of being a woman in academia touched upon. I'd definitely read upcoming books in this series.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.

Crooked cops use their position to steal and plunder, trying to strike it rich by getting a movie deal for the story of their antics. Also, there is a drug sniffing beagle (who barely appears in volume 1). Raunchy and trying just a bit too hard for my tastes.

I found this collection of poetry on LP, and it is narrated by James Earl Jones! Amazing. I could listen to him all day. I'll be selecting a couple of the poems for my "storytime for grownups" library program.

Cate has had her eye on Ash since she was rescued from her evil grandfather as a teen and brought into Jim Morgan's fold of special ops forces. Ash, older and afraid that any action on his part to be with Cate would cost him his job, brutally rejected her despite his true feelings.

Now, five years later Cate is working as a photo-journalist in increasingly dangerous locales trying to prove to her father she is no longer a child. Too bad she proves him right and ends up needing Morgan, Ash, and the entire gang to come extract her from a country descending into civil war. Cate's in so much trouble it even forces Sully and Liam out of "retirement" and back into each other's lives. Much like Cate and Ash, Sully and Liam have been fighting their true feelings for each other.

As Morgan's operatives work to get the team out of danger, each couple will find their limits tested.

A great end to a series and a fun ride to see how each couple finally finds their way to happiness. I was so pleased Kennedy followed through on Liam and Sully's relationship and gave it a nice amount of time. Super steamy read.

Rowan is widowed and pregnant, her husband tragically and inadvertently killed during an MMA match. Rowan is still reeling from grief and shock and also trying to appease her husband's controlling mother who seems to think she knows what is best. It is not a good time for Rowan to meet and fall for her idol, the famous rock musician Zane. Zane is also immediately entranced by the 'angelic' Rowan and asks her to join him on his tour, ostensibly to help center her, but come on we know what he wants. Zane wants Rowan's heart, but she doesn't know if she even has one to give and doesn't know if Zane's love is worth the price that comes with his fame.

I wasn't really enchanted with this story. You definitely need to read the first book in the series to understand the immediate "insta-love" between Zane and Rowan, and I found it a little unbelievable that a recently widowed pregnant woman would be so attractive to a playboy rock star. Definitely wish fulfillment at its finest, so to each their own.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.

Mark Diego needs to teach some of his hockey players a lesson after a PR disaster, so he enlists them and himself to help out his hometown recreation program. This plan throws Mark back into Rainey's life and she is not going to fall for his sexy good looks or bad boy charm, not like when she was a naive 15-year-old. Too bad Mark has other plans.

This was okay. The story felt a bit rushed as it was a novella and it wasn't quite as likable as other Shalvis titles I've read (and loved). Still, a nice little story to pass the time.

I was going to count this as a "book about sports" for my 2017 Book Riot Read Harder Challenge, but after reading I feel that would be cheating as the sports parts were pretty peripheral to the love story.

A historical romance that is somewhat inspired by Pygmalion. The banter between the characters was not my favorite, but overall a fine example of the genre.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC

My first instance of book amnesia. Totally re-read this without realizing it until about 1/2 way through. Still pretty meh for me. Shallow character development and a bit too much prancing around naked to impress the lady who said a lot of "no" and was ignored because obviously she means yes.

That title makes me a bit embarrassed, but I had fun reading the latest in Kerrigan Byrne's Victorian Rebels series!

Samantha Masters shot her husband dead between the eyes after a failed train robbery, saving the life of Miss Alison, who was en route to Scotland to save her family's estate from the damn Earl of Thorne. Alison (who I believe may be a future heroine) gives her identity to Samantha, giving her the opportunity to start a new life on Alison's estate. All Samantha has to do is keep it out of the hands of the Mackenzie family.

All Gavin, Earl of Thorne, Mackenzie wants is to take over Erradale, the estate he thought he could easily buy off the young ex-patriot. He isn't expecting the firecracker, pistol toting, crack shot, filthy mouthed lass who comes to fight his claim.

Both struggling to hide from ugly pasts, this is an excellent enemies to lovers tale!

What I most enjoyed was Sam's character. She is not afraid of the hero, doesn't take his shit, and fights most of her own battles. Gavin, while a total dick in the beginning, is redeemed by the end. I'm assuming the next in the series will be about the enigmatic Rook.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

A departure from the MMA fighting in the previous two novels, Raw Heat has youngest Larson brother Damien "winning" his sexy accountant Emma for a month of pleasure in place of requiring her brother to pay off his gambling debts. Very steamy, but also ridiculous. Fans of the series will be pleased.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.

Fancy pants actor is reluctant to hire a bodyguard despite death threats but is convinced once a sexy IT specialist and veteran literally knocks him down a peg.

Annie, trying to show her overprotective brothers that she is a vital member of their family's security business, takes the job despite Rocco's obvious attraction to her and her definitely unprofessional feelings for him.

A fun premise, but uneven in execution. Annie's compulsive and whiny especially to her family and Rocco often comes off like a creep instead of sexy (to me). I was especially annoyed with the 'let's make Annie pretend to be the girlfriend' trope. Oh, now you MUST kiss me in public (gross) and you have to wear sexy clothes, etc. No thanks. Why not an assistant, a personal trainer, or even a social media guru?

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.