When I finished First Touch by Laurelin Paige I knew I needed to read the next book, Last Kiss as soon as I could. I admit I have some mixed feelings about this one but overall liked how Paige wrapped up the story. If you haven’t yet read First Touch, you may want to hold off on reading this review because while I promise not to spoil anything for this book, I can’t promise that for book one.

If you recall, First Touch ended just as Emily seems to resolve some of her questions around how she really feels about Reeve and whether she will be able to give up her pursuit of what happened with Amber. Just when she decides that she is all in with Reeve, guess who ends up at the ranch..yep…Amber. She is alive and she is in danger. As Last Kiss picks up, we get to find out just how much Reeve knew and when and also where Amber has been.

Emily, of course, is now at a crossroads. She has to figure out if she wants to stick around and not only find out what has been going on but also whether there really is a future for her and Reeve. As she begins to find out how much Reeve knew about her and her relationship to Amber, she falls back into the question of whether she can trust him. Despite that, she can’t (or doesn’t really want to) fight her feelings for him and they continue to come together whether they plan it or not.

One of the things I liked was the different side to Reeve that was exposed with this novel. In the previous one he wouldn’t bend at all but in this book he showed that he cared more about Emily by giving her the freedom to make a choice and he held back until she actually did decide. Now…don’t get me wrong, that sentence feels odd to write but at his core, giving this to anyone was something Reeve didn’t typically do. Recognizing that she wasn’t really one to take control, he wanted her to decide for herself what she wanted. In my head this backfired a bit…only because even though Reeve wasn’t forcing Emily into doing what he wanted her to do, Amber was right there to do it.

Amber was an interesting character. I won’t say much about her here because I don’t want to give anything away but the relationship Emily and Amber had was curious. There was a very thin line in their friendship that they toed because they shared their relationships. As things were uncovered through Emily and Amber’s history, it became clear that they didn’t see things the same way and although they loved each other, there was a dangerous imbalance of control/power in their relationship. Add to that the fact that there was jealousy and it isn’t hard to see why things ended up the way they did between them.

In the past, Amber always knew what to say to Emily to get her to do what she wanted and that hasn’t really changed. Emily wants to please everyone and Amber definitely uses that to make her presence known between Reeve and Emily and as the story progresses, it is clear Amber still wields some control over Emily.

There were some times that I was definitely frustrated with Emily. I wanted her to stand up for what she wanted and I get it…I see why she didn’t but in the same vein, she also didn’t really trust Reeve, even though in my mind she had made the decision that she would when she decided to stay with him.

These were some interesting characters and the story itself was interesting. As certain pieces were uncovered it became more than just the relationship between Reeve and Emily and tied in more of Reeve’s backstory and how that links into where these characters are today.

Overall I found this series to be a page turner. Paige can definitely write good erotica and the fact that she tied in an actual story with some strong characters made me unable to put these books down until I found out what was really going on. If you are looking for a story with deception, steamy scenes, and some interesting characters, consider picking this one up.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy!

All the Missing Girls by Megan Miranda was a book I had my eye on for a while. I have enjoyed Miranda’s stories in the past so when I read the summary of this one, I was immediately interested.

The main character is Nicolette and she moved away from her hometown ten years ago…when her best friend went missing. Although she has been back off and on for her father and brother, she has made the decision to stay away. Now that her father’s health is failing, Nic has to go back to help her brother fix up the house to get it sold.

The way Miranda tells this story is interesting. The timeline starts from the point that a neighbor girl goes missing and works its way backward. This was a twisting story that had me trying to guess the whole way through what really happened to the two girls and I never guessed at the ending.

I do have to say, while I enjoyed the story…I’m not sure how I felt about any of the characters. Normally there is at least one that stands out to me and I didn’t have that here. They were all equally questionable and if there was one that I rooted for it was Nic’s fiancé.

I can’t say much about what happens in this book as there is a lot revealed as the story progresses but if you are looking for a twisting story with a mystery, definitely consider checking this one out!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy!

Relentless is the second book of the Hero Agenda series and I was pretty excited to get my hands on this as I loved Powerless by Tera Lynn Childs and Tracy Deebs.

This book picks up shortly after the end of Powerless and if you recall, Kenna’s boyfriend and her best friend are now in Rex Malone’s clutches. Her mother is also still under his control so Kenna is willing to do whatever it takes to get them back.

A lot of things happen in this story as this band of villains push to uncover what Rex is up to. One of the things I enjoyed most was the collection of characters that made up the villains. These are supposed to bet the “bad guys” based on how they have been labeled but in reality, they are up against someone who cares little about anything other than the power and control he can have. As Kenna and the group find out what Rex is really up to and how it has impacted their lives – in the past and present – they do whatever they can to stop him.

I won’t give anything away here on the story but I will say the characters felt a bit flat for me. I don’t know if it is because there was so much constant action and danger but whatever it was, everything felt rushed and I wasn’t as connected with them as I was in the first book.

I will definitely be checking out more from these authors and if you are looking for a superhero book that sets you up for a good vs. evil story and has a lot of action, consider checking this series out.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy!

2.5 stars
The Cresswell Plot by Eliza Wass was a story that drew me in the moment I read the summary. When I was able to get my hands on a copy of this book, I immediately dove in and have to admit, I’m still not sure how I feel about it.

The story itself was something I found intriguing but I wish I knew better what the father’s goal was. I definitely felt for these kids and the fact that they were outcasts in their town. It was sad how their father used these kids and held their actions over each other’s heads and the relationships these kids had with each other was definitely odd.

I’m not sure what to say about the rest of the story here – mostly because it’s very much focused on the relationships these characters have with each other more than anything else. Once things start to unravel for their father, things turn quickly and perhaps that is where I have the hardest time tying this all together. It was definitely rushed and I wish there had been more explanation of why their father chose the path he did as well as what happened to everyone in the end.

This was one I am on the fence with and don’t know who I would recommend this to. I think if you are looking for something different with some creepy characters and religious undertones, consider this one. The book is a quick read and definitely different from anything I have read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy!

For 100 Days by Lara Adrian is a book I found while I was skimming upcoming releases and I am happy I came across it. From start to finish this book held my attention and I wanted more of these characters.

Things are starting to fall apart for Avery. Her artwork is being let go from the gallery she has it with, her job isn’t making her happy, and she has to figure out where she is going to live since she won’t be able to stay in her apartment. When she crosses paths with someone at the bar she works with who just happens to need someone to stay at her apartment for the next 4 months, Avery makes the decision to take a chance and accept the deal.

When Avery runs into Dominic Baine (literally) she is immediately drawn to him. After a second run in with him, she does something she wouldn’t normally do – she decides to leap into what she thinks will be a one night stand with him. I liked Avery but she was keeping a lot of secrets from Nick even though she had plenty of opportunity to tell him the truth. I really wanted her to come clean with him and tell him everything.

Nick is definitely an alpha who is used to getting what he wants. He doesn’t normally do relationships but there is something about Avery that draws him in. The relationship these two have is based a lot on the fact that they have great sex but as Nick opens up to Avery, she is drawn more and more to him. The problem Avery has is that her secrets are staring her right in the face.

Overall I thought this story was well done and I can’t wait to see what Adrian has in store for the next installment. If you are looking for a book that has solid characters, steamy bits, and an engaging story, definitely check this one out.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy!

OMG that ending is just as hard the second time around! I have to just keep telling myself everything will be OK because Mary Pearson wouldn't destroy me like that. One more month (or so) to go before I get my hands on the final book!!

Go listen to this my friends...if you like the book (and why wouldn't you??) you will like the audio!

The Cage by Meghan Shepherd was one I was looking forward to. Cora wakes up in an unfamiliar place and eventually with unfamiliar people. As the group starts to build trust and friendship amongst themselves, they come face to face with their jailer and realize just how much danger they are in.

I enjoyed the world building in this book and the relationships amongst the teens was interesting. I would consider this book “Sci-Fi Lite”. The book focuses greatly on the relationships and characters and inserts the alien aspects here and there.

Overall this was a decent book one for this series and I’m looking forward to book two.

The Hunt is book two of The Cage series by Megan Shepherd and I was excited to get my hands on this book. It picks up shortly after The Cage ended and the group is all spread out due to their escape attempt. Cora, Lucky, and Mali are now at the bottom of the chain of human captives and are continuously in danger. As they try to figure out what to do to save themselves, they are faced with some tough decisions. With the help of Cassian, Cora is able to begin practicing her psychic abilities and use them to help the group survive and hopefully escape.

At the same time, Nok and Rolf have become a science experiment and are constantly under the watchful eyes of the Kindred scientists. They are constantly “on” and having to prove they are valuable to keep around as the Kindred have threatened to get rid of them as soon as they can if they aren’t teaching them new things about humans and pregnancy.

As the story nears the end, I have to admit, there were parts that felt very rushed. In one particular section something unexpected happened and I had to go back to re-read what the heck happened because it seemed to come out of nowhere. With that said, overall I thought the story moved forward at a decent pace and provided some good background on the Kindred. There was plenty of action and the characters showed some growth. I’m looking forward to the next book.

Thank you to Edelweiss for the review copy!

The Outliers by Kimberly McCreight was a book I was interested in getting my hands on as I love a good mystery/thriller. This one fell a bit short for me based on my expectations. There were a number of things I didn’t love about the story and overall the characters just drove me nuts.

With that said, I thought the pacing of the story was done well and the twists and turns definitely kept me guessing. As I mentioned, I didn’t care for any of the characters really which is tough because that is usually what gets me tied into a book.

I will probably pick up the next book in the series just based on the ending and thank you to Edelweiss for the review copy!

3.5 stars.

Traitor Angels is the first book I have read by Anne Blankman but it won’t be the last. I love how Blankman combined the historical with a bit of a treasure hunt. I thought the characters were developed well and I always love a bit of romance.

The story follows Elizabeth Milton, the daughter of John Milton, as she does everything she can to save him from the King. The story progresses through her father’s clues as they hunt down the truth and as she realizes the secret her father has hidden in his poem Paradise Lost, she needs to decide what’s most important to her.

I thought Elizabeth was a great character, well developed and likable. Always striving for her father’s approval but never settling for the status quo. As she goes on her journey, she is accompanied by an Italian scientist, Antonio, and eventually they become close.

If you love a good story that mixes in history with a bit of fiction and a bit of a treasure hunt, consider checking this one out!

Thank you to the publisher and Edelweiss for the review copy!