The Moon Tells Secrets by Savanna Welles

 "Don't trust nobody. Not family. Not friend. Don't let it get him like it got my son, not until he is ready to meet it. And remember that blood must pay for blood. A debt must be paid. Your boy can never forget. That is his destiny."

Raine is at her wits' end. Her eleven-year-old son, Davey, whom she has raised by herself, has the power to shapeshift into any animal—a "gift" from his dead father. As Raine struggles to control his abilities that are so clearly out of her realm, a darker threat moves closer—a skinwalker bent on killing Raine and Davey. But even if the skinwalker doesn't succeed, someone closer to Raine will become just as vicious…

Cade, still grieving the brutal murder of his wife, finds solace in Raine's companionship. But as the savage details of her death mirror the powers Davey is soon to have, Raine will have to fight to protect her son…

I’m not sure how to word this review.  I tried to like this book, but it just didn’t work for me. The switching POV from 1^st to 3^rd is one of my pet peeves.  So, that made it hard for me to want to read this book.

The good points about this book are the character development - seeing Davey’s transformation as he gains power and knowledge was great.  I love the tie in between the paranormal world and the Navajo History. That sets this apart from other paranormal/Urban Fantasy books.  I felt sadness for Cade and Raine’s losses. I was scared and concerned for Davey and his future. I was never on the edge of my seat, though, and couldn’t stay focused on the story until the end.

If you’re looking for a unique story with Native American History in an Urban Fantasy world, give it a try. 

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Miss Taken by Cleo Scornavacca

 Love........................The Ultimate Loss of Control

Rain and Raven Medici are identical twins. Although they come from a loving close-knit family their childhoods couldn’t have been more different. Raven went to school and was exposed freely to the outside world. Rain on the other hand was born with a blood disorder and denied many normal childhood experiences.

Once grown, Raven becomes a lawyer at their dad’s firm Kane & Medici in NYC. Rain along with her only childhood friend Tommy Conte, builds a very successful business as professional photographers. Traveling between Europe and Manhattan, and enjoying a world that was kept from her, Rain vows never to be controlled again.

Dominick Kane is a product of his upbringing. He’s powerful, self-assured and knows he can achieve anything he desires. Nothing gets in his way. There is only one thing he has ever failed at. A relationship with his father Vincent Kane. Upon his father’s death, Dominick vows revenge. The events he sets in motion put him on a collision course he himself will be unable to control.

In a bizarre twist of fate, Dominick kidnaps Raven as part of his plan for revenge. Only to discover afterward, he has taken Rain by mistake. Rain knows she can never survive being confined again. So she strikes a bargain with the devil and agrees to help Dominick get back what he feels rightly belongs to him. His father’s share of Kane & Medici.

Dominick decides to use the strong attraction growing between Rain and himself to control her in every way imaginable. Too bad no one ever taught Dominick you can’t control the heart. Nothing could have prepared him for the effect Rain would have on his.

Will this plan of revenge turn into unconditional love? Or will Dominick and Rain’s need for control ultimately destroy them and any possible chance for a real future
together.......

I was quite excited to start this book today. I loved the premise of Miss Taken – the bad guy falling in love with his captive because he abducted the wrong twin. When I began the book I was even more excited as it was narrated in the first person from Rain’s point of view. However, within a few pages my excitement began to dim because the author kept switching from present tense to past tense, the transitions were not only jarring but they were a sign of poor editing. As Miss Taken was available on Amazon, I downloaded the sample to set my mind at ease about the editing. However, the sample showed that the tense issues were not only not corrected during the editing process, but the author’s edits were also visible in the purchased copy. What do I mean by this? You can see where someone has stricken out the text and made changes; for example: There had It had never been a sexual relationship between Tommy and me. Not good, but ultimately not the reason for the low rating.

Despite this and because I received a review copy, I soldiered on in the hopes that the story would suck me in to the point that I could overlook the errors and tense issues as I have found – on more than one occasion – a diamond in the rough, a great story hidden within bad editing. Sadly, this was not my experience with Miss Taken. As I said, the premise was great but the execution was not. I found Rain to be extremely disappointing as a female lead. Initially she comes off as a strong and sassy woman, living her life to the fullest despite a somewhat debilitating medical condition. Yet time and time again, her behavior was equivalent to that of a doormat. Just when I thought she found her backbone, she’d cave at Dominick’s first apology OR even worse, apologize to him first for something that was his fault. I lost track of the number of times that she allowed Dominick to walk all over her – it was bad enough that the final time in this installment that she left him did not leave me with the expected feeling of suspense I know the author intended. As for Dominick, egomaniacal does not even begin to do him justice. Add to that his volatility and obsessiveness, it was too much for me to stomach which is why Rain’s constant forgiveness made no sense to me. I could not relate at all. This left the story feeling flat and disjointed for me.

I usually give a book two stars when it falls within the “Just okay” area and reserve one-star ratings for books that leave me thinking “I hated it and I want my time back.” I didn’t hate Miss Taken, so it’s not really a one-star read, but I didn’t consider it “just okay” either. It was more of a situation where I really didn’t care what happened to the characters and there just wasn’t that much that appealed to me, no matter how much I tried to like it. I enjoy abductor-abductee romances and have many in my Kindle library that I have read and reread. I was looking forward to adding Ms. Scornavacca’s Miss Taken series to my collection but sadly that will not be happening as Miss Taken didn’t work for me left me with no desire to continue the series.

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My Salvation by Michelle Dare

Caliana Crawford is smart, sexy and unemployed. After quitting her mediocre job, she finds herself in need of a break. She goes to the one place that holds her most precious memories, her cabin by the lake. Life hasn’t always been easy for Cali. She lost someone close to her, was betrayed by her lover, and now she only wants to escape reality. What she doesn’t plan on is her sexy neighbor, who has an agenda of his own.

Owen Matthews goes through the motions every day, but knows his life is missing one essential part - Cali. He has never forgotten about the summers he spent by the lake with the gorgeous brunette. When he sees she is back to stay, Owen knows he can’t let her slip through his fingers again. Others think he has it all with owning a multimillion dollar company, but what they don’t know is that he would give it all up to have her in his arms and his bed.

The road to happiness isn’t always easy. His brother returns to his life and brings with him an old flame who threatens to rip Cali and Owen apart. Will they find their salvation with one another or let the events of their past influence their future?

I had such high hopes for this book, but unfortunately My Salvation ended up being just an okay read for me. The biggest hindrance to my enjoyment was that I never connected to either of the main characters. Right off the bat with the opening scene, Cali rubbed me the wrong way. Maybe if Ms. Dare had provided a bit more detail as to why Cali was quitting her job I would have been able to sympathize with the predicament she found herself in and connect with her. Without it – for me – the scene becomes quite stilted and Cali comes off a bit like she’s spoiled. As it stands, the scene feels contrived simply to set the stage for her to go the lake and ultimately reunite with Owen.

Once Cali heads home after joining the ranks of the unemployed, she decides that a trip to the lake house is just what she needs. That she learns after she arrives that she will be treated to the occasional glimpse of her neighbor while he’s shirtless is a major bonus. Even though the two haven’t seen each other in ten years and only shared a single kiss the night before she left for college, Owen has always been in love with her and decides that now is the time to let her know how he feels. The speed with which they embark upon their relationship was a bit too quick for my taste. Even though it’s been a decade since they last saw each other, Owen is ready to make a life with Cali almost immediately. A LOT can happen over ten years and 18 year-old Cali and 28 year-old Cali are not the same, yet Owen doesn’t care as long as he has her in his life. Add to this, romantic suspense elements that were so predictable that it was unbelievably frustrating when the characters didn’t figure it out until the actual reveal. Seriously?!?! Needless to say my enjoyment of the book just went downhill and continued to do so the more I read.

Typically I don’t comment on spelling, grammar, etc. in a review copy because I don’t always know if the copy I received is the final version or not. However, the errors, overuse of commas, awkward phrasing, incorrect use of past and present tense, and incorrect word use (affect vs. effect) kept pulling me out the story while reading. I can only hope that the copy I received was not the final version and the majority of the issues will be corrected before the masses receive it. I hate that I didn’t enjoy My Salvation more because it has a good premise, but the execution was lacking for me. This is one of those books that I recommend you download a sample of and decide for yourself; just because it didn’t work for me doesn’t mean you won’t love it.

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Michelle Dare is a Jersey girl living over the border in Pennsylvania.  She started out as a reader, then became a book blogger.  She loves the book community and thought to try her hand at writing.  Her first book, My Salvation, is a contemporary romance.
She is a married mom with two wonderful children and a German Shepherd, who she considers her third child.   She is a lover of books, music and movies.  Her favorite band is Maroon 5 and has too many favorite movies to list.  Paranormal romance is her favorite genre to read.

 

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No Place For the Wicked (The Brantley Colton Mysteries #3) by Rodd Clark

Brantley Colton can’t escape being drawn into another series of twisted murders after several naked bodies are unearthed, discarded like garbage. Finding the killer will be tough enough…but when he learns the culprit is a prominent State Senator from Maine, Colton realizes bringing him to justice will become his greatest challenge. He is swept into a sordid, sexual world of bondage and discipline, violence and pain only to discover that the evil in some men’s souls is incomprehensible.


**This story is a suspense/thriller that contains adult situations of graphic sex, language, and violence. The story is intended to entertain, not to condone or glorify illegal or immoral activities. This book is unsuitable for sensitive readers and those under the age of 18.**

Disclaimer: Even though the word ‘rape’ is not used, we do have situations of M/M forced penetration without any prep, lubrication, or protection. We are also given a very brutal D/s scene between a novice and a Dom. I understand that the book says’ graphic sex’   but I felt that it just didn’t cover it. Also this is between the murderer and one of his victims. But of course the vic didn’t know it at the time.

Once again Colton is back in the Portland area, He’s rented a cabin for what he feels like is his last few weeks, months on earth because of the cancer that is eating away at his brain. But instead of the peaceful retreat, he again gets tangled up in solving string of murders. But two things are causing him issue’s one, the murderer and two the setting.

I do have to add, I do enjoy mystery books, although they are not my favorite or my go to choice.  Having said that, with each of these I went it with an open mind, but these   are just not my cup of tea. Once again, we can’t seem to keep the MC names straight. I find that annoying, either call him Colton or call him Brantley.  Another point, in book two the cancer played a huge part, but it’s only mention in passing here, and doesn’t seem to be effecting him in anyway. Where in book two, it was starting to cause a problem? We also went back to multi people talking, but at least this time it stop for chapters, so not as confusing. One big thing I did enjoy, at the end was Colton allowed the last victim to have his say to the murderer before they carted him off to jail.

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Short Ride to Hell (The Brantley Colton Mysteries #1) by Rodd Clark

 For Brantley Colton, his crusade was over. There was nothing in the abyss left for him. Whatever he had once believed in had become a lie. There was no light at the end of the tunnel, just a long highway ahead, a dark road without signposts to direct him. Where would he go from here? The finality in his soul belied some joy in the closing moments. It was over, he could die now…but he couldn’t die happy. It had only been a few hours since he had put the Winter Glade Motel in his rear-view, but it seemed longer. Colton drove the desolate highway but felt tired and needed sleep. The air conditioning was on high to fend off the humid Florida evening. The air against his face was the only thing preventing him from drifting into dangerous sleep; even so he contemplated the series of events that had him traveling down 1-75 in the middle of the night…with the blood stains of the murdered man still present on his shirt. He had used an alias to register at the motel, paid in cash but feared something had been left behind which could tie him to the murder. He needed time to finish the job at hand and his sloppy second-guessing had placed him in peril. Colton had never been one for prayer, but felt like it was a good time to drop to his knees, to confess his crime and ask for forgiveness. Not that it would have done any good for him.

Disclaimer – This book contains scenes of raw brutalities that are inflicted on the women who are kidnapped, raped and then killed. We also have a lot of consensual sex between MM and MF and well as non-consensual.  

We have three voices telling three version of the same story. A guy on a personal mission Colton, an FBI pro-filer Reston and then the serial killer they both are after. Colton has lost someone to this killer and has been tracking him from State to State as well as trying to stay one step ahead of Reston.  But as the trail heats up the killer abducts another victim. Can they find her before it’s too late?

In my opinion you have three stories being told by three different voices or three MC telling ‘talking’ during the same book is difficult for the best authors to pull off. And this author just didn’t do it. This story left me confused and frustrated before I got passed the third chapter. Which led to skim reading, or turning in my first DNF.  I never understood how a ‘normal’ guy could keep posing as this or that to get the families to talk and the FBI not catch on? I also got no empathy connection with Colton even though this is ‘his crusade’ He just comes off has another two-bit dime store P.I. I did enjoy the getting the inner working of the serial killer, obviously not the rape, killing part, but how we got there.

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Turnaround: A Red Hot Valentine story by Cassandra Carr

Becca and James don't date. Both are in their thirties and neither has found anyone they feel is potential spouse material. Becca attends a "We Hate Valentine's Day" party at a local bar where James is bartending. He knows from the first day they meet that Becca is someone special, but Becca's more cautious. James sets out to prove to Becca there really are happy-ever-afters.

I truly don’t have much good to say about this audiobook. The narrator mispronounced things and I honestly have no idea whether it was her tone or the story itself, but it bored me. The characters came across as needy. A couple times I half expected Becca to become a crazy obsessed girlfriend, hanging on to James at every turn. But then again, James came across as though he would put up with anything as long as Becca still went out with him.

I ‘hope’ that if I were to read the ebook that maybe I would feel differently about it. When you are listening to an audiobook, the narrator’s voice and tone really affect the words. And her snorts, barks of laughter, and constant change of volume took away from the book.

Anyway, it garners 2 stars. I just cannot give it higher than that.

Audible

BAMF by S.J.D. Peterson

 With his fauxhawk, sleeve tattoos, and visible piercings, Ridley Corbin has the whole bad ass vibe going on in spades. The image serves him well as the self-proclaimed protector of the underdog, and he wants nothing more than to be Alex Firestone's hero.

Alex, a mild-mannered library assistant, has moved to Slater, a quiet college town, hoping to hide from his past. He keeps to himself, but that doesn't save him from catching the unwanted attention of the campus bully. But not all is as it seems. Alex's past comes calling, and it's time he becomes top dog.

I started BAMF with the audiobook version, but quickly came into some issues – the narrator can make a break an audiobook and for me, the narrator broke it. He made the book sound so boring that I decided to switch to the ebook to see how I felt. I really enjoyed the story, once I’d switched.

Ridley loves to save people. He was picked on as a child and now stands up for those who have the same problem. He also has a crush on the guy who works in the library. The thing is? Alex doesn’t even seem to notice he exists. Not one to give up easily, he keeps showing up. Until Alex finally agrees to go out with him.

This isn’t a simple boy meets boy story. Instead, Alex has secrets he is hiding from and when those come out, Ridley’s protectiveness comes out…only to find out that there is more to Alex than meets the eye.

I loved that this wasn’t a simple story. They both have reasons for being who they are and I absolutely loved who Alex turned out to be. The ending I also enjoyed, though I did feel sorry for Ridley’s parents. The story itself is worthy of 4 stars, but since I agreed to review the audio version, I have to say, it was a 2-star. The narrator actually made the story sound slow and boring to me. So, overall, BAMF has 3 stars.

AudioBook Rating: 2 stars

Story Rating: 4 stars

Overall Rating: 3 stars

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