Dark Romance Book 3

 Ruin You by M. O'Keefe

This was much faster paced than the previous two books and I liked that we got the entire story in just one book instead of breaking it up over two books. Simon is an investigative journalist. Penny is a chef. She is also the daughter of the healthcare/medicine maker that caused the death of Simon's mom and led to his dad's suicide. It is time for Simon to pay his debt and he is sent to a charity event to determine if Penny is there or not. She is. She and her business partner opened an inn and restaurant. Carissa breaks into his room and gives him an envelope with his next task: find her mom's laptop, make a copy of the files, and send them to Bates. Simon searches the entire inn and doesn't have any luck with the laptop, but he does have luck with Penny. She finally takes him back to her trailer and after a very energetic night she falls asleep and he is able to search the place. He finds the laptop and leaves. Their reckoning is devastating for Penny. Then, her father shows up and Simon goes with her to protect her. He makes a scene. Then Bates shows up. Simon decides not to kill her father when Bates gives him the option and Bates takes him out and has him arrested. Penny tells Simon to write the story and her father is sentenced to life. He shows up at the inn every week and they slowly rebuild their trust. He even introduces her to Tommy and Beth. He goes to Bates' office and Simon asks him how that was him fulfilling a debt and Bates says that it wasn't Simons' debt, it was his. Simon realizes that he was also a foster kid who was abused by the pastor and he didn't do anything about it, so this is his way of dealing with his guilt. Bates doesn't confirm or deny it but he does tell him that he found Rosa. That's where the book ends, with Simon tasked with approaching Rosa. This wasn't as dark as book one, but we are reminded of the circumstances repeatedly. I like the audiobook narrators better than the story, but I did like this story better than book 1. I am interested in how the final book is going to play out.  

YA Paranormal Romance

Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout

This was an interesting take on the paranormal romance genre. I was NOT expecting aliens; I was betting on werewolves. Katy and her mom move to West Virginia for a new start after the death of her father. Mom works at a hospital (we are given the impression that she's a nurse but it's never outright stated). Katy goes next door to ask for directions and meets her neighbor who she decides is *very* hot, but he's a jerk. At the grocery she meets his twin sister (also stunning) who is much nicer. Katy and Dee become friends. Daemon is reluctantly coerced into spending time with Katy and he is occasionally not horrible. In fact he is frequently saving her life; from a bear, her drunk homecoming date, a random attack after leaving the library, and even a truck. Each of these incidents leave a trace on her and after the truck incident he finally shows and tells her the truth: he's an alien from a planet that was destroyed by a species that is trying to kill him and all like him - that's who her attacker was. Katy and Daemon have this big will they or won't they and she ends up killing one of the bad aliens and saving his life. You would think that would make him stop being horrible to her, but he is extremely inconsistent. Then, Dee gets a call while she and Katy are hanging out - the bad alien is headed their direction. Katy makes Dee use her powers and put a brighter trace on her so she can lead the villain away. It works but Katy is no match for him. Then Daemon shows up and is putting up a good fight, until Dee shows up. He gets distracted by checking on his sister and Katy and the villain goes in for the kill. All three of them are laying on the ground and Katy is actively dying so Daemon tries to heal her. She ends up holding both of their hands and channels their powers and kills the bad guy. Katy is in bad shape and Daemon sends Dee home, then he heals her, but at the end of the book we get a few chapters from his perspective and it seems like he split his soul, tying them to each other. This was enjoyable and I will definitely be reading the next book.  

Royal Romance

 Cheeky Royal by Nana Malone

I hate secret keeping as a plot device, but it worked for this. Sebastian is the crown prince and he finds out his father has two illegitimate children. He doesn't want to be king, he wants to be a photographer, so he sets out to find his brother. He has his two doubles out in the world causing havoc and making headlines while he is out trying to find his brother. Enter Penny. She is a Royal Guard, but not exactly good at her job. The King tasks her personally with bringing Sebastian home. She and her bestie, Ariel, go to New York where they discover Sebastian is hiding. She moves in next door with the intention of befriending him so she can do surveillance without being obvious about it. Except, they are both into each other. So, she says she has a boyfriend to keep it just friends. But, she broke up with her boyfriend when she caught him kissing her brother! Robert, the ex, calls her and from the background noise deduces she's in New York. Her brother shows up to tell her to go home and he will stay and act as his guard. She tells him the King personally sent her and he needs to leave. He is a terrible brother. She saves Sebastian from gunshots but tells him she thought she saw her ex and was just trying to hide. Her father calls and tries to get her to come home and she accuses him of treating her differently than her brother; tells him she can do this, and hangs up on him. She and Sebastian give up on being friends. They both agree that they need to talk, but decided to tell each other that they are falling for them and have an enthusiastic night together before talking. Then, there is a knock on his door and Robert is there. The King is dead. Long live the King. And he takes a knee. Sebastian looks over and Penny is on her knee as well. He spent the entire time thinking she didn't know who he was and now he realizes that she has always known. And that's where the book ends. We don't get the confrontation and the spilling of secrets! This was a bit of a cliffhanger, but not in the traditional sense that everyone is in mortal peril; it's emotional peril instead. I can't wait to read the next book! 

Fast Paced Novella

 Almost Summer by Susan Mallery 

This was fast paced and I mean fast paced. Paige volunteers to take in Alistair when he shows up in town to visit but has the measles. She takes care of him for three days and then he is well enough to get out of bed and they start hanging out and flirting. Then he goes to his friends house and stays there. But, he comes back to visit Paige and they have a *great* night together. He helps her plan her first international trip. He realizes he's in love with her after at most a week. He asks her to put her trip on hold and come with him to Australia and Thailand. She agrees. The entirety of this book was MAYBE one week. That's insane.  

Brain Health

 Brain Health as You Age: A Practical Guide to Maintenance and Prevention  by Jodi L. Lyons, Steven P. Simmons, and William E. Mansbach

This is one that would have been better if I had read it physically instead of listening. This you need to annotate and tab the important parts you want to incorporate. My big takeaways were: 1)exercise is not just good for your physical health, but for your brain health as well. 2)Eating fish once a week can be a good preventative measure. 3)Some brain games are not actually doing anything to help your cognitive functions and they need to be researched based not just based on science. 4)Reading and learning new things are good preventative measures.  

Cozy-ish Mystery

 Aunt Dimity's Good Deed by Nancy Atherton 

This was a mystery but it was more an adventure/chase story than anything. Lori plans a trip to England for her and Bill as a second honeymoon because they are now estranged. He has a big case and can't come so his father comes instead. Senior ends up disappearing; he leaves a cryptic note and takes the journal that Aunt Dimity communicates through. Lori and Nell, her 12 year old neighbor, go on a cross country chase after Senior. They meet Gerald, the disgraced attorney who everyone thinks is having a tryst with a much older woman. They meet Lucy, the attorney and cousin of Gerald, who is holding the firm together. They meet Arthur, the bumbling attorney and other cousin of Gerald. They meed Aunt Anthea, Uncle Williston, and Timothy (Gerald's sick father). They are always one step behind Senior. Bill ends up showing up after getting injured while working on his big case. At the end we discover that Gerald is only a cousin by adoption; his father isn't a real Willis. We discover that he's not having a tryst, he's being blackmailed by the woman that Anthea's husband cheated on her with. We discover that he didn't just cheat, that he was skimming money from the firm and Gerald quit to protect Arthur who made some huge mistakes and to keep the mistress from exposing everything. But, Senior also figured all of this out and has a cop ready to take her into custody. Gerald and Lucy, who are not actually related, get married. Lori finds out she's pregnant. Senior has been putting the pieces in place to set up Bill in England. It was giving Scooby-Doo.  

Bodyguard Series #3

 Delicious by Shayla Black 

Luc was fine in the previous book but he was horrible in this one! He was not dreamy at all. Luc and Alyssa had a great night together in the previous book and he promised that he would be a guest chef at her restaurant when it opened. So, he shows up and they have amazing chemistry and of course he sleeps with her again. He doesn't use protection because he is sterile. They can't keep their hands off of each other especially since he's staying in her house. But, he is convinced that she has been sleeping with Tyler, her bodyguard. She's also getting threats in the form of knives stabbed through threatening messages. She also has a politician that protests outside of her strip club constantly. Luc leaves after his week is done and they don't see or hear from each other. She shows up at a book signing, he breaks up with his girlfriend on the spot, Alyssa tells him she's pregnant. He is sterile so he decides that Tyler must be the father, but he is desperate for kids so he immediately asks her to marry him. They get married and he is still calling and insinuating that she's a whore. She tells him about being raped as a teenager but he doesn't open up about his sterility. The crazy politician traps her in her club and sets it on fire. Tyler and Hunter get her out and to the hospital and Kimber, who is there to check on her brother who got shot in the process, tells her about Luc being sterile. Luc shows up from LA where he was taping a cooking show and they fight and she kicks him out. She gets attacked in her home, by her rapist who hired Tyler to find her. Luc is already on his way there and manages to save her and kill the rapist before he can hurt her again. They are cleared of any wrongdoing and reconcile. Everything about this pissed me off. So far this series has not been as good as the spin off and that had some of the dumbest characters I've ever met.  

Billionaire Romance Book 2

 The Billionaire's Unexpected Baby by Kira Archer 

I HATE a pregnancy trope so I was irritated before I started this book. The only reason I didn't skip is was because I really liked Brooks in book 1 and wanted to see him as the lead. But, this wasn't a traditional take on the pregnancy trope which helped immensely. Leah has a one night stand and the condom breaks. She gets a job as a teacher at a catholic school that has a morality clause in the contract. Then she finds out she's pregnant. She is moving in to her apartment on campus and Brooks is there helping her. They are talking about her pregnancy and mother superior hears. She accuses Leah of lying during her interview. She tells her an abbreviated version and as the mother is about to fire her Brooks steps in and says they are engaged but that he travels a lot for work and that's why they decided she needed to live on campus. After some severe side eye the mother decides not to fire her, but suggests she move in with her husband. They get married less than a week later and she moves in. They engage in marital acts and she starts bleeding and thinking she lost the baby. They go to the hospital and find out that happens sometimes but she's fine. All the while she has been trying to get in contact with the actual father of the baby but she only has Facebook messenger and he's not reading them. She tells Brooks the name and it turns out they are mortal enemies; baby daddy stole and app from Brooks during college and has also been trying to steal other things from him, like women. Brooks gets in contact with BD's secretary and now Marcus (BD) wants to be involved. Except, he doesn't. He's doing some of the right things, but not all of them. And he and Brooks are constantly fighting. Both are in the hospital with her as she has the baby and Brooks lets Marcus cut the cord. Then Brooks leaves, comes back, takes her home, and they fight. Leah moves back to the school and everyone loves having the baby around; they don't even care about the morality clause and the end of her marriage. Brooks talks to his besties and they get his head together. Brooks buys Leah a house and he and Marcus decide to go to couples therapy. Marcus makes Brooks a guardian in case anything happens to him and Leah and so he has parental rights. Marcus is involved but from afar and it works out better for everyone. I liked Brooks as the lead character and enjoyed his growth. However, I still despise the pregnancy trope.  

Great Start

 Cappadonna by Jahquel J. 

I was ecstatic when I found out this was available at the library and not just on Kindle Unlimited (full on Keegan Michael Key "I've been waiting for this"). I immediately put it on hold without looking to see if they had every book in this season; they don't :( This starts with Cappadonna home and re-acclimated to life outside of prison. He hasn't been to see Kendra and she hasn't tried to call him. He is over her especially when he learns that Chubbs is his son and she hid that from him. Chubbs also knows that Cap is his father but doesn't know how to bring it up. Cap finally does and it's sweet. Chubbs only calls Kendra by her first name which pisses her off, but his aunt raised him and he calls her mom. Kendra sucks and I can't stand her. She has been cheating on Cap with some guy that I can't remember his name and she fully is engaged to him. Cap finds out she was lying to him about the guy, finds them while they are on a date, and smashes his head into his plate. The guy tricks Kendra to marrying him and then, to get back at Cap, shoots Chubbs thinking he's just a random member of Caps' crew. The book ends with Cap in the hospital waiting on news about Chubbs and the sister of the guy who shot him shows up. Cap has already met her; he showed up at her hospital room after she had a baby. Turns out Chubbs is the father and Cap almost killed the mother of his grandson. And the book ends with us not knowing if Chubbs survives or not. Meanwhile, Alaia is back in the picture. Her "husband" had been killed and she's super pregnant. Cap sees her while she's on the way to the laundry mat and he helps her. He takes her back to her house, gives her his phone number, and always answers when she calls. Her husbands brother shows up and says she is his wife now; she does not like this plan. He sees her with Cap twice and the second time he beats the shit out of her. She calls Cap and he takes her to his lake house. Then, he puts the fear of God in the new husband, aka Tweety. Cap makes his intentions known to Alaia from the start and he even goes to her birthing classes with her. His family loves her. Erin and his mom help her get ready for the baby. He is all in. I am obsessed with the Delgato Family but I have to cool my jets since the library only has up to Cappadonna 2.5.    

Hockey Romance #3

 Tough Guy by Rachel Reid 

I did not like this book as much as the previous two. Fabien was very one dimensional for me; he was just a vehicle for Ryan's growth. Wyatt was the best part of this book. Ryan is an enforcer and has been moved from team to team his entire career. He doesn't like to fight, but he's good at it and it's his role on the team. He gets traded (again) and moves into a LGBTQIA neighborhood. He is not in the closet, but he's also not out - at least not like Scott Hunter. He goes to pick up a prescription and runs into Fabien, who he lived with for a year as a teenager as part of some hockey program. Ryan has always had a crush on Fabien. Fabien has always had a crush on Ryan. They start hanging out under the guise of showing Ryan around since he's new in town. Then they confess the mutual crushes and start sleeping together. Then decide they are boyfriends. Fabien is a struggling musician and he's really good; signed to an indie label and going on tour good. Fabien starts watching hockey for Ryan. Ryan goes to Fabiens' shows. Meanwhile, Ryan is struggling with some intense anxiety. Wyatt is his best and basically only friend. Wyatt takes him to a youth center where he volunteers and that is great for Ryan. Wyatt gets traded and that sucks because 1) he was a great friend and 2) he was the best character in the whole book. Ryan comes to a fork in the road when a fellow enforcer kills himself; he and Ilya are the only hockey people at the funeral. Ilya tells him about the foundation he and Shane started. Ryan decides to quit hockey and go work at the summer camp. He walks into the office without knocking and sees Ilya and Shane kissing. Shane freaks out but Ilya says he can be trusted. Now three people know about Shane and Ilya.  It was fine, but not amazing. I wanted more Wyatt.  

Crime Series #14

 Predator by Patricia Cornwell 

This was more twisty, more tense, and more intense than some of the previous books; not that that's a bad thing. There were a lot of terrible characters in this book, and I was jumping to conclusion left right and center trying to tie all of them together. Kay and Pete are on the outs. They are working in Florida and Pete was in charge of some of the training but then one of his "death scenes" goes awry and now nobody trusts him. Enter Joe (maybe, can't remember). He is the fellow studying under Kay. He sucks. Not only is he a misogynist, but we later learn that he is a fake and a fraud; all of his recommendations are faked. He is also cheating on his fiancee constantly with some hot young thing from each class of students. He and one of his paramours cook up the issue with the "death scene" that gets Pete removed. While investigating everything else, Pete is the one that discovers that he has been getting into Lucy's secure servers and has been stealing case information. Pete is also the one that finds out his is a fraud and gets him arrested. One suspect down. Meanwhile, Lucy picks up a woman in a bar and takes her to her room. The woman has hand prints on her breasts and thighs but she never really tells Lucy about them. Also, Lucy is acting strangely and we find out she has a brain tumor. Benton is at Harvard studying the brains of killers to see if they have any visual differences or observable reactions that are abnormal to help understand killers. One of his patients gives him a tip about a kill he made which was unreported and outside of his normal pattern. Kay, Lucy, and Pete all investigate it from different angles. Meanwhile, we also have the death of a prominent doctor, who just so happened to be treating Lucy. We also have a psychologist who has been treating Pete, treated one of the missing boys (but not his brother or his guardians), and has been collaborating with Joe. She is unhelpful until she gets targeted by a fruit inspector and then gets a crazy call on her talk show. It turns out, the murder the patient was talking about only partially happened; he killed the mother but not the daughter. The daughter was sent to live with an uncle (?) and he abused her. During the abuse she developed another personality; she ends up having multiple and they discover she has Dissociative Identity Disorder. She was the woman that Lucy picked up. She was also the male citrus inspector. She was also the man that kidnapped and murdered the two boys and their guardians (one guardian killed herself instead of getting killed). She was also the man who was going to break the patient out by volunteering to participate in the study as a normal subject for comparison. The breakout was foiled. Lucy figured out that abused girl with DID was the bad guy and they were able to arrest her. This was a lot. None of my theories were correct.  

Love Triangle Done Right

 The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson

I accidentally read the spin-off series first and loved it so of course I had to go back and read the original. This had me STRESSED! But in a good way. We have three main characters, but they read as five. That was an interesting way to keep the love triangle going while also keeping the suspense high. Lia is a princess and first daughter (but third child). She is being married off to a man she has never met, but that she assumes is old, ugly, and mean. On her wedding day she runs off with her personal maid and best friend. They travel to besties hometown, but they leave multiple different trails to make it harder to find them. Lia is being tracked by the prince she abandoned, her oldest brother and the rest of the palace guard, and an assassin from barbarian country. She and bestie take up residence in an inn, with the woman that helped raise bestie. And then she starts working as a tavern made. She loves it. Enter two hot strangers: Kaiden and Rafe. One is the prince and one is the assassin. But we don't know who is who and they don't know why the other is in town. Kaiden is blonde and Rafe is brunette. She likes Kaiden but has way more chemistry with Rafe. Then she realizes she has to go home and deal with some things so she and bestie head back. On the way, Kaiden kidnaps her. He is the assassin! They end up with a band of vagabonds and they rest, Kaiden expresses his feelings for her but says the country comes first so he has to keep her captive. In order to keep her safe he tells his fellow assassins that she has the sight, but she doesn't. However, one of the older women in the caravan helps her unlock her sight and she discovers a stampede before it happens. She uses that to try to get away, but Kaiden finds her. They make it all the way to the entrance to his home and Rafe is waiting there. He reveals himself to be the prince and that's where the book ends! I did not want to put this down and reading it at the end of the school year was torture because I couldn't just sit down and finish it! I cannot WAIT to read the second one!  

This Was NOT Good

 Slave by Cheryl Brooks 

I am not sure why I wanted to read this or why it ended up on my TBR because it was not good. The writing was repetitive and uninspiring. The storyline was gross. I didn't like any of the characters. It never got any better. She calls him kittycat throughout the entire book when she's not calling him Cat because she couldn't come up with any kind of nickname that made sense. So, she is searching for her sister who got kidnapped 6 years ago and sold into slavery. When she finds out the planet she is on requires all of the women to be chained to their masters she goes in search of a slave. She finds Cat, buys him, and immediately frees him. When the man she bought him from tries to attack her, Cat jumps in to save her and she takes him with her on her journey. She tells him about her sister and asks him to pretend to be her master on the planet so they can look for her sister. He agrees. They flirt. They journey through the jungle and eventually find her sister who is now pregnant and happy and doesn't want to leave. Then, her sister tells her the truth of the planet, the women are engaging in selective breeding because the men are so aggressive. Only pre-approved men are allowed to breed and while her husband is the father of this child, he will not be the father of any other children she has because she will be artificially inseminated. Then Cat gets captured and she goes after him. Because of some procedure that a different alien did, she can track him and is able to save him but it's too late. Cat is bleeding out. A monkey comes out, sees her crying, leaves, and returns with some poultice. The women warriors show up with an alien just like the one that turned her into a tracker and they help Cat, then tell her they are very lucky because that monkey was a Guardian and they rarely show themselves. She and Cat rest and recover then make the trip back to Earth to tell her parents what happened. She and Cat have triples, which they call a litter. The book ends with them both old, having had many litters and Cat having donated his semen to the selective breeding program on the planet that sister is on. This was weird and I didn't like it. I won't be reading anymore from this series or from this author.   

Rom-Com

 69 Million Things I Hate About You by Kira Archer 

 I was smiling and kicking my feet basically the entire time, and I'm not a huge fan of office romance, especially not boss romance, books. But this was so cute! Kiersten gets promoted to first assistant when Maria quits because their boss, Cole, tells her to move her wedding because he needs her to work over the weekend. While talking with his friend, Brooks, Cole comes to realize that he might have overreacted so he gives her a good recommendation and an even better severance package. He then proceeds to work Kiersten into the ground. That is, until she and her two best friends win the lottery. If they take the one time payment and split it, they all end up with $69 million. She can't quit her job, not until everything is finalized legally, but she decides she's going to make her bosses life hell until then. Her friends create a poll of when he's going to fire her and put it on the business forum. He finds out from IT, but doesn't say anything to her. In fact, he tries to be even worse just to see what she will do. Turns out, they like this side of each other. Then, he tells her to schedule his yearly poker trip, but it can't be some place they have been before and they can't fly. So, she first books them in a sleazy motel, but has a helicopter take them to the real location: Amish Country. They have to participate in a school building and do all of the farm chores. Cole finally makes a move and kisses her. Then, he flies her to France and they stay in a literal castle for the weekend. Everything is going great until he gets a call about the paperwork for one of the projects. He immediately accuses her of messing it up on purpose. She yells at him about why is he currently with her if he's doing something for one of his mistresses. He tells her that house is in his sister's memory and is for people with her same illness. She flies back home and calls in the two friends for help finding the paperwork. She gets it filed, but because it was late the venue has been rebooked. She then works tirelessly to get everything set up at a new location and the party is a hit. But he isn't taking her calls or responding to her texts. She decides to just quit and wants to know who is going to win the poll, but the last day has a super cheesy message about not being able to be without her. She shows up, barges into a meeting, yells at the client and him. He follows her out. He apologizes. She quits at the same time as he fires her. They get back together. The epilogue is two years in the future with them happily married and her going into labor. He and Brooks are both a mess and it was adorable! I adored this book.  

YA Fantasy

 Firelight by Sophie Jordan 

A dragon and a dragon hunter fall in love. Jacinda is a fire breather which is super rare and because of that the pack doesn't see her as a person but as a commodity. Her twin sister doesn't have a dragon form and her mom let her dragon die after the death of her husband, their father. So, when Jacinda is almost caught by hunters the pack wants to punish her but mom has them run away in the middle of the night. The only reason Jacinda wasn't caught by the hunters is because the hunter that found her, Will, let her go. The twins end up in school in the desert because mom wants Jacinda's dragon to die. On the first day she has an encounter with Will. Then he sits beside her in study hall. He is trying to stay away from her, but he feels drawn to her. They have this will they won't they thing going on. He finds her wandering around one night because he went to look for her. She shows up at his house, with his entire extended family of hunters, and finds his dads trophy room. Will tries to stay away, but it isn't working. She gets accosted in the bathroom by a mean girl who 1) thinks that Will belongs to her and 2) tells her to leave him alone or his sister won't make the cheerleading team. They end up fighting and Jacinda burns her. Will eventually can't take it and they go public, making out in front of the whole school. They are about to go on their first date when his cousin makes the pull over and her sister pops up out of the back seat of his cousins car. They end up at a hunter party. They are kissing and a dragon from her pack, the one they want her to mate with, storms in. They get into a fight and fall over a cliff. Jacinda gives up their secret and shifts to save Will. Her secret is out, in front of the hunters and they have to leave. The book ends with them on the way to get her mom and go back to the pack. It took a while for me to get invested in this book, but I got there eventually. I am looking forward to seeing what happens in the next one!  

Dark YA

 Binding 13 by Chole Walsh 

I wanted to call child protective services multiple times during this book. I am a mandated reporter and was ready to report multiple things. But you can't report a book. This stressed me out. We did not need the school secretary engaging in sex acts with a literal student. (CPS call #1) She is a predator and a pedophile and doesn't need to be around children. Now, for the actual story. Shannon has been bullied mercilessly at her public school and her mom takes out a loan so she can go to the private school. On her first day she gets hit in the back of the head with a rugby ball and it's not good. Johnny didn't mean to hit her, but her mom doesn't believe him. He has been ordered to stay away from her. No problem, except he can't stop thinking about her and looking for her. The become friends and he is desperate to protect her from everyone and everything. But, also, he's a star rugby player and is very high profile - like destined for the national team high profile. Everyone knows him. That works out in his favor when people start hassling Shannon; he is able to put a stop to it. Her friends think he's into her. His friends think he's into her. They both deny it. She ends up at his house and kisses him, but he doesn't respond and she is so embarrassed. Then, she ends up at his house again because his mom is doing some real wing woman work, and he tells her that he wished he had responded differently, then he kisses her. Now its the day of the big game. He gets injured, or re-injured is more like it. She waits around outside of the locker room so she can see him, and they end up getting caught making out. Coach is disappointed and says he's going to have to tell their parents. The game and dealing with Johnny's injury went so late that they have to stay in a hotel. His best friend gets Shannon and takes her to the hospital with him. Johnny is super loopy from the medicine and tells his dad that he has to find the girl because he loves her. Then she shows up. Nurse says only one person can stay the rest of the night with him and Shannon tries to leave and he decides to go with her. His parents decide that she should be the one to stay since her being there is the only thing keeping him calm. As he's falling asleep he asks her who is hurting her and she says her father. The next day she is back home and her father is beating the literal life out of her, not for the first time (he is CPS calls 2 and 3). Her older brother Joey gets home and beats him to protect her. Their mom runs to the abusive father instead of checking on Shannon. Joey tells the younger boys to pack bags, gets Shannon, and then they leave. The book ends with Johnny waking up and having a memory of Shannon telling him her father, but can't remember the context. We have no idea how Shannon is or where Joey took them.  This book had me stressed! I like Johnny and Shannon, but I don't understand why this book has such a cult following. But, I am going to read the second one.  

Done With This Author

 Kiss of the Royal by Lindsey Duga

This is my second book by this author and like the first, it was weird. I never felt a connection to any of the characters, mostly I was irritated with them. Ivy is a princess and a direct descendant of the first queen. Because of this her kiss has magic. Her 5th prince is dying and she needs someone new to bond with. Enter Zach. Only, there's a problem. Zach was raised basically in a cult and doesn't believe in the magic of the kiss. He thinks the original queen was able to do magic because of True Love's Kiss. So, while he bonds with her, he refuses to kiss her. Throughout their adventure to find the black dragon egg and kill it, they are faced with challenges that Ivy knows she could solve with a kiss. But, they do things Zachs' way and when it works out they are showered with gold light. They start falling for each other but Zach thinks it's all a manipulation to get him to kiss her. Then, they meet a mage who is able to help them. But, she ends up turning on them because she's really being possessed by the heart of the original queen. Turns out, she is the one who caused all of the dangers because she was heartbroken that her husband slept with her sister to produce more children with magic blood. Ivy and Zach save their friend and separate her from the evil queen, and kill the dragon, using love. Then they go back home and tell everyone the truth of what happened, and that using the kiss makes things worse. It takes a while, but eventually people come around to the new way of thinking, which turns out the cult was right.  I think I'm done with this author.  

Dark Romance Book 2

 Where I Belong by M. O'Keefe

This was better than book 1, not near as aggressive or trama-filled. It picks up where the previous book ended, with Tommy in a fight in a gas station bathroom. Beth takes the keys and drives them someplace safe. They are met by some dogs and an old man with a shotgun. But once he sees Beth, it's fine. She introduces Tommy and then shares a look with Peter, the old man. Beth and Tommy can't keep their hands off of each other and it's a good thing that her room is above the garage. Tommy and Peter are getting along okay until Tommy's dog is attacked by one of Peter's dogs and when looking for the first aid kit Tommy sees a picture on the fridge. Of his mom. Turns out Peter is the grandfather that didn't want him, signed away his guardianship rights and put Tommy in foster care. Then, we get the story: Tommy's first family was good and he probably would have gotten adopted but the dad got sick with cancer and they couldn't take care of him. He ended up back in the system and bounced around until ending up with the pastor. Then, we hear from Peter. He signed away his rights because he wife was sick with cancer and he couldn't take care of both of them, plus the social worker told him Tommy was with a good family. Now, Tommy feels betrayed by everyone. He gets a message from Carissa that forces a phone call between them and Tommy tells her about Beth; how her mother was drugging her and using her as a guinea pig and put her in foster care when she wouldn't cooperate because she kept running away. Carissa says Bates needs proof. Tommy leaves, but Beth has his phone and she sees the messages about Bates needing proof. She and Peter start to go after him, but don't know where to look. Instead, she makes a youtube video telling everything. Tommy shows up at the club that Bates is working out of and is met by Carissa who takes him to Bates. Tommy has no idea about the video and Bates shows it to him. Bates considers the debt paid. Tommy asks why, but Bates doesn't elaborate. They almost come to blows. Tommy goes back to Peters' and he and Beth get back together. They get a happy ending and Tommy gets a message from Simon, Bates has come to collect his debt from him. This sets up the next book without giving any of it away.   

Non-Fiction

 Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard by Chip Heath, Dan Heath

Reading this at the end of the school year was probably not a good idea; you have to be in a particular frame of mind for this book and end of the year just isn't that mind frame. This was easily digestible and had good examples, but it didn't do anything for me.  

Bodyguard Series #2

 Decadent by Shayla Black 

This book had no plot. None. Then, at about 75% of the way through, the author decided to throw in some high stakes conflict. The plot of the book was threesome. That's it. Kimber shows up to Deke and Luke's house to ask Deke to teach her about threesomes because the man she thinks she's in love with (a popstar) lives that lifestyle and she wants to be ready for him. He says I could show you better than tell you, after explaining all of the details. She agrees to live with them for two weeks on the condition that they don't take her virginity because she wants to show up to Jesse prepared, but still chaste. They then Eiffel Tower the girl making her virginity semantics. She catches feelings for Deke but he says he doesn't reciprocate and she leaves. She goes to Jesse and he won't even kiss her because he wants her to stay pure. Then, he brings her out at the end of one of his concerts and announces their engagement, without even asking her. Later that same night she finds with engaging in a threesome. She packs her stuff and leaves. She goes back home and is staying at her dad's house when the house explodes. She runs into the fire and drags him to safety. Deke and Luke show up; her brothers aren't happy about this because they know what kinds of things they are into and the don't want their sister involved. But, she is also being threatened so the three of them head to Jack's house in the swamp. And she falls more in love with Deke after giving up her virginity to him, with the help of Lukes' manipulations. But, Deke has baggage; his high school girlfriend killed herself when she found out she was pregnant. He blames himself. Then, we find out that Luke has been so invested in finding a woman for the two of them because he can't have kids; he was sick as a teenage and it rendered him sterile. They finally get the all clear and she goes home. Then, she finds out she's pregnant and Deke doesn't handle it well. She shows up to her house to talk but there's no answer. He finds her window open and hears noise so he calls 911, but they are already on the way because she managed to call before she got attacked. Deke saves her from the popstars manager, who was going to kill her because she was ruining the singers life and brand. She ends up in the hospital and in front of her brothers he tells the nurse that she's pregnant. They don't handle it well. Come to find out, she wasn't - it was a false positive. Deke finally tells her about his past and she helps him through it and they end up together, just the two of them. This was so dumb and way longer than it needed to be.  

Crime Series #13

 Trace by Patricia Cornwell 

Another good showing from this series! It had me on the edge of my seat trying to figure out how all of the pieces fit together. Kay is called to consult on a case in Virginia, by the man who took over her job. He is horrible! He's not good at his job, he has let the lab fall to ruin, and to top it off he's just an overall bad guy. So, the case is a 14 year old girl who died seemingly of the flu. But, once Kay and Moreno start looking into the case it becomes obvious that it was murder, not the flu. To make matters more complicated the parents of the girl are going through a messy divorce and the mom hits on Pete. He is open to it. This leads to him having no memory of what happened and he is left with bruises and bit marks all over his body. Kay now has to investigate the mom as well as the death of her daughter. Lucy gets involved and goes to investigate the dad and he is incredibly unprofessional and she gets it all on camera. Also, Lucy has a new girlfriend who at the start of the book was attacked and now to keep her safe she's in Colorado with Benton. During the investigation a construction worker is killed by his tractor and he ends up with the exact same trace elements as were on the dead little girl. Turns out the girl was killed by a former morgue tech, Lucy was the real target (of the same guy!) and the trace on the construction worker came when the killer was taking bodies and ashes from the morgue. This was wild and trying to understand how all of the pieces fit, with the science showing one thing and the rest of the evidence showing something else, was fascinating!  

Dark Romance Book 1

 Lost Without You by M. O'Keefe

This starts out rough and then gets way worse before it gets better. I almost DNF'ed it because of how awful the beginning was, but I needed to know if the bad guy got his comeuppance. This starts in a foster home with and abusive pastor and his wife. Tommy and Beth are in the home together and they start dating. They get caught making out in the art room instead of being at lunch. The pastor is notified. Tommy expects that he's going to be the one getting punished; he's prepared for the beating. But, instead Beth is taken. He and the other kids break out of their rooms and Carissa goes down to the kitchen to get a knife. They break into the office right as the pastor is about to start raping Beth. Tommy stabs him, but he gets knocked out in the process. When he wakes up the pastor is dead and instead of getting the medical attention that he needs, he is taken to jail along with Carissa and Simon. Enter Mr. Bates. He is a bad guy that works for an even worse guy. But he has power and says he can make the charges disappear if they agree to owing him a debt that he can collect at any time. They all agree. Simon makes sure that Tommy gets medical attention and then they live together, under the radar, until Simon goes away to college. Fast forward 7 years and Tommy is at the bar with his dog having dinner. In walks Carissa with an envelope. It's time to pay the debt. He has to drive to one address, make a pick up, then drive to another address and make a delivery. Oh, and Beth is involved. He gets to the house and she is drugged out of her mind, being attended to by a shady doctor who may or may not have a valid medical license. He takes Beth and they leave. She starts going through withdraw on the trip, but eventually she recognizes him. They get to the drop off address and it's a rehab facility. Then her mother walks out. She begs him not to leave her there and they drive off together. They rent a cabin, get a new car, and spend time together while she detoxes. Then, they finally consummate the relationship. She decides it's time to leave, to get back to being Jada the popstar and he agrees to take her home. But, her mother has made a statement saying she was kidnapped. He gets attacked in the bathroom at a gas station and that's where the book ends. Once I got through the horrible beginning the story and the characters were compelling. But, that beginning is really hard.  

Fantasy Adventure

 Smoke and Scar by Gretchen Powell Fox

This was a fantasy adventure book and it was great, if a bit slow. Ellie is a famed fae warrior but she's in retirement. Cedric hates Ellie because she killed his parents. Ellie hasn't spoken to family of her betrothed since his death in the Crucible 25 years ago. Now, his mom shows up asking her to be the voice of reason and stop her daughter from entering, but Ellie's former best friend won't listen. Now Ellie has entered the Crucible with only one goal: save her. But the Crucible has other intentions: unity. And it keeps throwing Ellie and Cedric together. So much so that they start to fall for each other. Then, after the third task something is wrong and we find out that Ellie's betrothed isn't dead; he's been in the maze the entire time. And he's been corrupted by it. But, he gets killed, but not before trying (and failing) to kill his sister. The fourth and final task requires two people, and Ellie and Cedric are the only ones strong enough to go. They get there and it's not the full crown they were promised and the plan that they have devised won't work. One will have to die for the other to gain the crown. Cedric sacrifices himself for Ellie, but is brought back to life by Ellie through the power of the crown. The exit the Crucible and one of their companions turns on them. She reveals herself to be a shapeshifter and steals the crown and makes a dire pronouncement on the way. Then, at the very end we find out that Cedric's mentor and father figure is really the bad guy and has been this whole time! I can't wait to read book two!  

Dystopian #1

 Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi 

I love a good dystopian story and they have been sorely missing for a while. Juliette has been locked up for almost an entire year with no human contact because her touch can kill. She found this out when, while trying to help a child she accidentally killed him. Now, she is a monster. But, she has recently been given a roommate. A boy. Adam. She knows him. They went to school together. She has had a crush on him forever. And she is determined to keep him safe. Only, it turns out he's working for her captors. Enter Warner. He is in charge of this entire branch? division? battalion? And he's crazy. He wants to use Juliette as a weapon. He assigns Adam as her personal guard and if she doesn't comply then Adam gets punished. But, Adam has a secret; two actually. First, he has had a crush on Juliette forever. Second, her powers don't work on him. They decide to break out. They run to his house where his little brother, James, is safely waiting for him. Kenji shows up at his door beaten and bruised and tells them he knows a place they can go. But, Warner has found them so they split up. Adam gets captured and Juliette saves him, then gets Kenji and James and they all get to the safe place; it's a place of resistance and it's full of people like her and Adam, people with powers. Oh, Warner can also touch her. He discovered that during their escape. And Kenji also has powers, he can turn invisible. Juliette and Adam are officially part of the resistance. I really enjoyed this and can't wait to see what else happens.  

Hockey Romance #2

 Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid 

This was funnier than the first book, but I think I liked the first book better. Shane and Ilya were together for so long, but they weren't anything more to each other than a hookup for most of their time together. Then, after years they decided to exchange phone numbers. Watching Ilya be jealous over Rose was great. Watching both of them try and fail to end it was heartbreaking. When they finally got caught by Shane's dad and had to confess was such a weight lifted off both of their shoulders. Then the plan for Ilya to move to Canada and the joint charity to end the feud and start being friends so they can be seen together in public. They destroy me. The confrontation Shane had with with best friend after the disastrous dinner and him finally coming around was sweet. But, they deserve so much more than hiding!  I am loving this series and can't wait until my hold on book 3 comes in!  

STEM Romance

 Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood 

I adored this; I was giggling and kicking my feet the entire time! Normally I HATE a miscommunication trope, but this was a miscommunication because he was so into her he got awkward and couldn't even look at her. And now he thinks that she's married but still wants to work with her even though he still has a huge crush on her. And they are twitter friends and are talking to each other about each other without even realizing it. And he's defending her to their boss. Then he saves her from being attacked by someone he thought was a friend, but who really was sabotaging the project. And he defended her in front of her ex. I LOVED this. This. Was. So. Cute. And the fact that I just so happened to read a book that was taking place at NASA right as the Artemis II crew was returning from space was an adorable coincidence.  

Cozy Mystery

 Finger Lickin' Dead by Riley Adams 

The great thing about a cozy mystery is that it doesn't matter how long it's been since you read the previous book, the author is going to remind you of who the important character are. That holds true for this book. Our mystery is the new food critic turns up dead. And he wasn't very nice in his reviews but whenever anyone saw him out and about eating he was always a member of the clean plate club. Everyone was surprised when they found out the dead guy and the food critic were the same person. And then his current soon to be ex-wife also turns up dead. His former ex-wife and current girlfriend ends up a suspect, but it's easily discovered that it wasn't her. From the investigation it turns out that it was his cousin, the Senator, all along. He was backmailing him for an affair and seeing as how it was an election year he couldn't have that so he killed him. And then, the current soon to be ex-wife picked up the blackmail scheme so he killed her too. But, he was found out before he could get away with it. I'm not sure if I will continue with this series, but the good thing is, if I decide to pick it back up later, it will be easy to get back into it.  

Billionaire Romance Book 1

 The Stopover by T.L. Swan 

I love the idea of a billionaire romance (please come and pay all of bills and take care of me), but Jameson is NOT it. I get the man knows his way around the bedroom and he can lay it down, but his temper is a major red flag. He was entirely too controlling for my liking. I'm glad her journalistic integrity encouraged her to keep looking to clear her name, but only for herself. Not for him. She deserved better.  Despite not liking Jameson I will be reading the rest of the series because I have high hopes for the rest of the brothers.   

Romantasy

 The War of Two Queens by Jennifer L. Armentrout 

The books in this series are huge and a lot happens in them. Like a lot a lot. So much so that it can be overwhelming and hard to keep track from the beginning to the end. The main things to take from this are: Malik was staying with the queen because one of the Revenants is his heartmate, but she doesn't know it. That same Revenant is also Poppy's older sister and she hides their connection with some bad hair dye. Cas finds out before Poppy and when she saves him he is the one to tell her. They do save Cas. Also, Poppy decides to complete the bond with Cas and Kieran so now all of their lives are tied to hers. Then we get the battle and somehow Poppy is also Sera, the consort of Nyktos. So now Poppy is the true Primal of Life and Death. It didn't make any sense to me. Also, somehow during the battle everyone on Team Poppy that was killed was brought back to life. But, what's important is that Cas and Kieran are still alive and both free. So far I am still enjoying the series, but I have heard that it does start to go off the rails a bit.  

Vampire High School? College?

 On Wings of Blood by Briar Boleyn 

While I enjoyed this book, I have a lot of questions that this book didn't address. First and foremost, how old are all of these characters supposed to be and how exactly do vampires age in this series? It is implied that they are adults, but why are they in school? Why does the description say vampire high school? If they are in vampire high school then why is Blake leading some of the military? Why did Medra no longer have any of her magic? She can clearly talk to dragons, since she was able to wake up a dragon and talk to it, but why can't she do any other magic? And what is going on with the human professor who is teaching her how to shield her thoughts? There is something special about him, but we don't know what. Blake and Medra have great chemistry, even if neither is particularly fond of the other. Also, his brother is a creep and his uncle is even worse. Luckily my library has the next book available in ebook format so I can *hopefully* get some answers! 

Not What I was Expecting

 Empire of the Black Sea by Duane W. Roller 

I'm going to be super honest, the subtitle on the audiobook is VERY small and I didn't see it so I 100% thought this was a book about pirates and was very confused when it started. *whoops* I would probably not have listened to it had I realized what it was really about because this is not the kind of book I can absorb through audio. I need this in physical form so I can annotate it and take notes. I gave it 3* because it was easy to consume, particularly for a historical work. The vocabulary was not overwhelming like can often be the case. However, EVERYONE HAS THE EXACT SAME NAME. That made this hard to digest. Another reason why this would be better in physical form.  

Bodyguard Series #1

 Wicked Ties by Shayla Black 

This book did not need to be as long as it was. She has a stalker and nobody seems to remember that because they are too busy banging. He met her TWO DAYS AGO AND IS IN LOVE WITH HER. They meet so she can interview him for her show and her stalker starts shooting at her. In public. And because he is a professional bodyguard he immediately jumps into action to protect her. And then he takes her to his place in the swamp because it's safe and secure. And his first instinct is to get into her pants. For revenge. Because his ex-wife slept with her current fiance. Except he's not really her fiance, that's the cover story they came up with for why she's in Huston, with him. He's really her half-brother that nobody knows about because her father refuses to acknowledge her. So bodyguard thinks he's getting revenge, but he's not. And he just keeps getting revenge and falls in love. And forgets about the stalker. Until she sneaks out on his besties boat. And then bestie puts a tracker on her so bodyguard can follow her. And they they have a threesome. And her brother shows up and confronts them. And bodyguard and brother make up. And then stalker shows up. And she gets shot. And I was right, it was her real ex-fiance. Then bestie shows up and takes her to talk to bodyguard and they make up and get back together. This could have been so much shorter if they could have just remembered the plot! 

Crime Series #12

 Blow Fly by Patricia Cornwell 

Oh, this pissed me off! This was intense and much darker than the previous books. It was a continuation of the previous two and while there was some science, it was more focused on the escalation and fall out from the previous novels. Lucy and her partner kill Merino's son, who is the attorney for the French crime family. Kay is living in Florida, working as a consultant. She meets a detective from Louisiana who is being kept out of serial killings because 1) there aren't any bodies and 2) most aren't in her Parrish. We are led to believe the detective becomes one of the victims, but luckily she isn't and she and Kay work a case together. We also find out that Benton is alive. That he faked his death and that BOTH Merino and Lucy have known the whole time. Also, he has been orchestrating for everyone to end up in Texas where Werewolf is on death row. But, the coroner calls both Merino and Kay about an 8 year old case that Werewolf sends him a letter about; turns out it's one of his.. Well, really it's one of Jay's. Kay ends up talking to Werewolf in prison and then he breaks out. She flies to Louisiana and ends up taking care of an unaccompanied minor, the son of Jay Talley. This was all a set up to get her there to try to kill her, but she doesn't go to the basement like the mother of the kid wants, so she lives another day. Benton shows up and kills Jay, the mother, and the state prosecutor, who were all in on Jay's little rampage. But, we don't know what happens to the kid and the Werewolf is still out there. And Kay and Benton reunite. This kept you on the edge of your seat the entire time!  

Final in a YA Shifter Trilogy

 Summoned by Tricia Barr

This still had too many characters and too much going on. But, it did wrap up most of the storylines and it was not afraid to kill off some characters. Basically, Mereen and Kenzi escape with Laith, Cole, and Charlotte. Little brother does not come with them and aside from him staying at the vampire school we have no idea what happens to him. Mereen has Laith turn her into a vampire so she can be strong enough to fight her dad, and he agrees. Oberon and his in-laws show up to fight and they all survive, as does his bestie, Ren. Ren and Kenzi's mom are into each other. All three selkie's protect the magic school and Kenzi gets admitted to the school once the fight is over. Kendall turns into a hybrid but ends up dying. The mermaid seer teacher dies. There is a kracken and it has Laith's brooch, which Kenzi needs to bring back Gemma so Laith's story is unfinished. Cole's dad dies trying to save his mom. Juliette's boyfriend dies trying to save Cole. Cole does NOT handle it well when he finds out Mereen is a vampire hybrid. Mereen saves the day because her siren voice is more powerful than her dads and she makes him kill himself. The shifters make a council so there's not a power vacuum or too much power in one person like there was with Cole's dad. Oberon is made head of school again. I'm just glad it's done. I will not be reading anymore from this group of authors. 

The Power of Friendship

 The Secret Bridesmaid by Katy Birchall 

This was funny and sweet and I had a great time! Sophie is a professional bridesmaid. That's her job. Brides that want to plan their own weddings but need a little help hire her and she does the things they can't do; it's like having a wedding planner but not. Enter Cordelia. She is titled. Literally. She is Lady Cordelia. And she is NOT easy to work with. She does not want a professional bridesmaid and does everything in her power to get "Emily" to quit. But, this job ends up being good for both of them and they become actual friends. Until the night of her bachelorette, which is just the two of them drinking at a hole in the wall bar. Cordelia tells her the story of how she and a former friend had a falling out because she OD'ed and the friend stopped coming around. The story hits the papers and they all automatically assume it was her. Turns out it was the barman. Cordelia shows up on the day before her wedding to apologize and ask her to be her bridesmaid for real and they make up. Sophie has now come clean to her entire family about the top secret wedding she was working on, and to Cordelia's family who didn't realize they weren't actually friends. And she starts dating Cordelia's hot older brother Tom. This was so good, the friendship, the laughs, the romance. All of it!  

Soldier Series #6

Wicked and Forever by Shayla Black 

Trees is the only person in this entire operation that has any brains. Period. How the Colonel and his sons survived for so long without him is a mystery because they are all dumb. Layla also has brains, but she refuses to use them until it's almost too late. She gets herself captured by Victor and tries to manipulate him into taking on the head of the cartel; it works for a bit until it doesn't. Trees gets physically and emotionally hurt in the process and has to rescue her. Again. But, she does make a contact inside the organization who is willing to send her Kimbers' location in exchange for Victor. So, instead of using herself as bait, they use Victor. But, during the trade we find out that her her nephew isn't her brother in laws son, it's her father in laws; he is the heir apparent which is why the head of the cartel was so desperate to get him back. But, the contact she made is the second in command and he kills the head of the cartel, gives the sisters $5million in cash in exchange for them renouncing any claim to the cartel. And this is all after they saved Kimber. Then, Trees and Layla get married and the book ends with her pregnant and him reunited with some of his siblings. The storyline lasted for six books but was finally wrapped up. And it wouldn't have been without Trees.  

Crime Series #11

 The Last Precinct by Patricia Cornwell 

This is a continuation of the previous book and case. Scarpetta is being investigated for murder, but she obviously didn't do it. She had to move out of her house and moves in with her friend and sometimes therapist Anna. But, it turns out Anna has been subpoenaed. And, there is a hot shot prosecutor from New York in town. We are led to believe she is here to help Kay, then it turns out she is the one prosecuting Kay, but really she has been trying to help her all along because she knows she's being set up. Then, we find out that Jay Talley, the Interpol guy she slept with in France in the last book is really the twin brother of the guy that calls himself The Werewolf and that they have this weird relationship where Jay picks out the girl and sleeps with her and then the other brother kills her. Anyway, during the Grand Jury investigation Kay does great and the jury is very sympathetic to her and they don't bring any charges against her, but ultimately Kay does resign. While the science was still good, this was less about the science and more about the Machiavellian behavior of the French crime family.  

Cozy Fantasy

 Of Owls and Oolong by Shari L. Tapscott 

This was cute, fast paced, and lighthearted. It has cozy mystery vibes but isn't a mystery. Kit inherits her great aunts cottage and tea shop and pet owl. But she must live there and run the shop for three years before she gets the fortune as well. There's just one problem, the owl isn't really an owl; he's a mage to accidentally turned himself into an owl and can't change himself back into a man. Also, Kit is a pixie, specifically a summer pixie which means her magic makes people happy. Her neighbor is a super hot high fae named Ash who just so happens to be the cousin of the man turned owl. They all work together, with the only other mage in town, but the only elf in town (who has unstable magic) and manage to get Rowan turned back into a man by the end of the book. Here comes problem number two. Rowan is hot. And now there is a love triangle. This is nothing new for Ash and Rowan because they have been competing for everything their entire lives. In fact, Ash dated Rowans former fiancee after Rowan "disappeared" but now she's engaged to someone else, but we don't know who, yet. This was cute and I would definitely consider reading not just more of this series, but more from this author in general.  

YA Adventure

 Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert

I normally don't like a self-discovery or coming of age book, but this wasn't just coming of age; this had adventure! Celine and Brad used to be best friends. Then Brad started playing soccer and hanging out with the cool kids; Celine stayed weird. They fell out. Now, they are both up for a prestigious scholarship. The only thing is, they have to make it through two different camping trips to win the scholarships. And during the course of said trips, they realize that the reasons they fell out don't actually exist. They make up and then start making out. Celine takes a lot longer to come to terms with all of her personal baggage than Brad does and almost ruins things between them, but she does get there. The final day comes and Celine's personal hero, and the decider of the scholarships pulls her aside and tells her she didn't win one of the scholarships but she would like to offer her an internship; Celine is ecstatic. Brad does win one of the scholarships. Everyone is happy and they end the book together. It was cute and I will definitely be reading more from this author.   

Hockey Romance #1

 Game Changer by Rachel Reid

I had some of this spoiled because I have seen clips and edits of Heated Rivalry. After seeing those clips I can say that the casting was perfect and Rachel was horrible to write Scott as a blond. (Why would he be blond?) This was so cute. I loved that Kip was so charismatic and that everyone loved him. I loved how awkward Scott was when he first met Kip. And their conversation about it later, how Scott admitted to being interested in him, but didn't know what to do and just hoped Kit would figure it out! Kip being with him and being in love with him but also not being able to be fully with him was devastating. I'm glad that Kip was able to tell Scott what he needed in the relationship, and that his dad was so understanding about it. That conversation was so awkward and cute. While Kip wasn't pushing or forcing Scott to come out, it was exactly what Scott needed. I was glad he told his friends and that they were supportive and that his coach was as well. But the scene after winning it all, when he came out in spectacular fashion because he couldn't stand to not be celebrating with the person that he loves? Beautiful. And we got introduced to Ilya in this book. I can't wait to read the next book!  

No Plot

 Forged in Blood by Sadie Kincaid 

This book started out with promise and then it decided it didn't actually need a plot. We have a baby that has power so strong it can conjure fire from inside the womb of it's dead mother to protect itself. Said baby has its powers bound and then we fast forward. Ophelia is a 19 year old college freshman. She is beautiful and can't make any friends because she's weird; she likes to learn. She has jumped around from foster home to foster home and the miraculously they find a trust that has been earmarked for her college tuition, but only at one specific school. She doesn't make any friends there either. Except, she catches the eye of the three hottest guys in the school, and their mentor and the hottest professor on campus. The guys are vampires and the professor is their maker. Professor vampire daddy tells his vampire sons to torture her, make her life miserable, but don't bite her. Well, one of them decides he likes her. Then, they stop being mean to her and start caring for her. Then one tastes her blood and is addicted. Now she is bonded to one. The other two are jealous and want to bond to her as well, so they do. They literally spend the majority of the book in bed. We find out she is the last of the elementai and that she has control over all four elements and that's it. Then she gets with professor vampire daddy and their connection is so strong it breaks the binding that was placed on her as a baby. So now she's bonded to all four of them. And that's where the book ends. We get nothing about her learning to hone her powers, nothing about her trying to use them intentionally. Nothing. This could have been good, but it gave up plot for smut.  

(Are You Sure) YA Fantasy

 Spark of Fate by Tessa Hale

How in the world is the a YA book? Because it's NOT giving YA. She has five, yes 5, mates. All of the werewolves. She is also some kind of shifter, but we don't officially know what kind yet because she hasn't had her first shift. We think she's a were because they test her DNA and find out that her bio mom was from that pack, but they don't know who her bio dad is. Also, the book starts with her and her sister getting into a car wreck and her sister dying. Then her family moves basically across the country for a new start. Her dad gets a new job and is never home and her mom is hiding in her room, drinking. And now her mom hates her and wishes they had never adopted her. It gets so bad that when she gets sick her mom thinks she's faking it for attention and the pack alpha, and father of one of her mates, has to step in, which forces her dad to finally see how bad mom has gotten and get her some help. And she ends the book basically moved in with the pack. But again, how is this going to be a YA series? She is 17. With five mates. She has already gotten physical with two of them. This is entirely too grown to be YA.  I'm not sure if I want to continue this series or not.  

Hockey Romance

 Off the Ice by Avon Gale and Piper Vaughn 

I do not like age gap so that was not great for me. Otherwise, I was a fan. Tristan is a professional hockey player and he's back in college trying to finish his degree so he has something to fall back on if hockey doesn't work out. Sebastian is his sociology profession. Nothing happens between them until the class is over. But once grades are submitted, they are very much on. Sebastian gives him time to come to terms with how he wants to handle things, but Sebastian is out and refuses to go back in the closet. Tristan introduces him to his family first, and that goes well. Then he tells his coach. Then his team. One of the members of his team that he's friends with confides in him that he suspected, because he is also gay. I expect that he will get his own book in the series. Sebastian is not a sports guy, but he becomes one for Tristan. I enjoyed this book and am irritated that I enjoyed it because I'm going to have to get Kindle Unlimited if I want to continue the series.   

YA Fairy Tale

 A Curse so Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer

It's giving Beauty and the Beast but make it war. Harper is acting as a lookout for her brother when she sees a guy kidnapping a girl. She goes to stop him and ends up transported to another world. While there she gets to know the kidnapper: Grey. She also gets to know the prince: Rhen. There's just one problem. Rhen has to make Harper fall in love with him in the next six-ish weeks to break a curse otherwise, he turns into a beast and the most likely dies. There are a couple problems. First, she is desperate to get home because her mom is dying. Second, she likes both Rhen and Grey. Third, the witch, Lilith, is doing everything in her power to stop them from being together without outright interfering. Fourth, there is a war coming. Well, Grey takes her home. She is able to say goodbye to her mom who promptly dies. Grey shows up injured and takes Harper as well as her brother and his ER doctor boyfriend back with him. Rhen turns into the beast. Harper is able to tame it because he loves her and remembers her. Grey takes Lilith to Earth and may or may not kill her. But Grey also finds out that he has a claim on Rhen's throne. And that's where the book ends. I enjoyed this and look forward to finding out how the rest of this plays out.  

Second in a YA Shifter Trilogy

 Scorched by Tricia Barr

 The audiobook narrators are really holding this series together. The nine thousand characters and shifting points of view are getting on my nerves. As are the constant mini cliffhangers for the end of every chapter. Plus, most of the characters get on my nerves. I understand that the majority of the characters are teenagers, but they are almost caricatures of teenagers they are so over the top. Myreen is now not only a mermaid, but also a harpy and a bear shifter. Kenzie has been accidentally dating a hunter and a vampire initiate while trying to help Laithe (and crushing on him) and trying to break the curse on Cole. Cole thinks the curse is still there because Myreen hates him, but that's just because she found out the truth from his dad instead of him. Juliette and Nick dated then broke up and are now back together, and she dated a wolf shifter while trying to get over him. Laithe has been discovered to be working against the vampire leader and now he's being punished. The military has taken over the school so they can be in charge of Myreen's training and Oberon has been kicked out because of his meetings with Laithe. Oberon, Laithe, and Kenzi's grandma are the only character's I actually like and they don't get enough screen time. Thankfully there is only one more book in this series. 

Stand Alone RomCom

 Love to Hate You by Jo Watson 

This was cute and fast paced. It was also pretty predictable at times. As soon as the kid was introduced it was obvious that she belonged to the one night stand turned boss turned neighbor. They had great chemistry, but he was a bit pushy for my liking. I did not like that Sera was willing to be friends with the mean girls that ran her out of her job once she was established in her new job. I would have never given them the time of day. Yes, everything worked out in the end. Yes, she was happier running the restaurant and coffee shop. Yes, she got the guy. But, the women she worked with literally bullied her into quitting her job. I will probably read more by this author. It was a cute, fluffy read.  

Soldier Series #5

 Wicked as Seduction by Shayla Black 

Finally, somebody in this series has some sense! Trees is the only person that 1) has a nickname that is believable and relevant and 2) has and brains in his head. However, I do NOT like an age gap so he gives up points for that. This overlaps with the previous book but from Tree's perspective. He is getting Laila to safety while Zy is finding the mole. It's lust at first sight for him, but she is very wary. She slowly warms up to him. But, she is still determined to use herself as bait to lure out whoever is after her sister, and therefore whoever captured Kimber. He's not having it. The book ends with the team on a mission to capture the head of the cartel, but when the get there he's not there and Laila is alone at Tree's house and his house has just been breached. And he is fully in love with her and freaking out about her being captured. I enjoyed this more than the previous books because Trees is not only good at his job, he's a good man, and a logical man. I am looking forward to the conclusion of this series.  

Crime Series #10

 Black Notice by Patricia Cornwell 

The science is still the best part of this series. Especially since this one was a little far fetched. Not the murders, those were entirely plausible; the travel is what was unbelievable this time. Kay and Morino ended up in France because of this case. Not because of their work with with the FBI task force. They had been communicating with Interpol and one of the agents paid for them to come, out of his personal account. Then, because Kay isn't handling Benton's death well, she slept with him and then immediately gave him the cold shoulder. Girl needs some therapy. Also, Lucy was working undercover and the op went bad. Then, they are all back in Virginia and Kay gets attacked by the killer in her own home, but luckily she had an acid solution within easy reach and was able to throw it in his eyes. It compromises some evidence, but at least she's alive. Lucy shows up and almost shoots him when he's not an active danger to Kay and now she's on leave. Lucy also needs some therapy. And the killer has a genetic condition that makes him grow hair all over his body so he calls himself the werewolf, but in french because he's from France. Also, we had a new police chief or someone and she hated Morino and gave him a new job, but that didn't last long because she got killed by the werewolf and her boss moved Morino back to the detective squad. This one was a bit much, but the science is still fascinating.     

First in a YA Shifter Trilogy

 Shifted by Tricia Barr

3* is probably being generous and has more to do with the skills of the audiobook narrators than the authors. First, there are approximately 9,000 characters and they all get their own chapters. Second, most of the chapters end of mini cliffhangers (what was I going to do? and then he just left...). Third, the succeeding chapter would not pick up where the previous one left off; instead it would transition to a different characters point of view. So, we have Myreen who on the one day she decides to break the rules, she becomes an orphan. Now she goes to a super secret shifter school because surprise, she's a mermaid. And not just any mermaid, but a siren. And also, the siren from the prophecy which means she is the only person that can kill the leader of the vampires. Oh, and her best friend is a selkie but the shifters don't like selkies because they use magic so bestie can't go to the super secret school. And when she gets to the school the two hottest boys both are interested in her. One, because he's a mermaid and a seer and he had a vision about them together. The other because he's a dragon and his dad (the head of the military) told him to get close to her and find out if she's really the girl from the prophecy. Also, dragon guy has a curse on his whole family that they can't fall in love because it will be unrequited. So he's super hot and cold with her. And the rest of mermaid's hate her. Also, her new bestie is a phoenix but she can't shift until they get attacked and that makes her shift because she wants to protect her friend. This book is ridiculous. There is so much drama and angst. I rolled my eyes so hard so many times.  

Asian Mythology

 Black Water Sister  by Zen Cho

I love mythology so this was right up my alley! There was a lot going on in this book and it was a little hard at first; you had to give it time to build. BUT! once the characters and the lore were established it was great. We were finding out things with Jess. There were times where I thought I knew where the story was going and I ended up being completely wrong. I don't normally like a story where the focus is on the main character finding themself, but that was secondary to the mythology so it wasn't horrible. I liked how Jess helped the Black Water Sister find peace and move on. I did not like the ending; we don't know how Jess's family reacted to her coming out. There was this huge build up to it, and then we get nothing. I love learning about other cultures and their belief systems, so this was really interesting.  

First in a Football Series

 I Got You by Stacy Williams 

I love a marriage of convenience. I don't mind a slow burn. I love a bit of jealously and possessiveness. Maggie is the oldest of the six siblings and the primary care giver since her mother died, her step mother abandoned the youngest four, and her father is dying from complication brought on by CTE. Shane is a former NFL star turned coach. Their first interaction does not go well and it's hysterical. When he learns who she is and what she's going through he immediately volunteers to marry her so she can keep custody of her younger siblings. It's a marriage on paper only. Except he's very attracted to her and is falling for her, but doesn't know how to have or express feelings. She is also very attracted to him and is constantly leading by example by putting herself out there. He calls his foster brothers for advice and on bye week they come to visit and they eventually get Shane in gear. He shows up for her on the biggest night of her life. They make their marriage official in a fade to black. I really enjoyed this book and Prime Reading is really working hard to get me to sign up for Kindle Unlimited because I want to read the next book.  

Soldier Series #4

 Wicked and True by Shayla Black 

This pissed me off so much. All of the characters were so dumb. Zy is trying to figure out who the mole is. He is convinced that it's not Trees or Tessa. He has looked through all of Trees stuff and can't find anything. Meanwhile, he's head over heels in love with Tessa. He's been given the green light to seduce the information out of her and all he's doing is the seducing part. He has seen, with his own eyes, a shady character approach her in the parking lot. He has heard her account of what happened. And yes he's trying to find the person, but when Tessa starts acting strange he doesn't put two and two together to realize that said stranger did something and kidnapped her baby?! I repeat, they are all so dumb. She should have told Zy. She had every opportunity but didn't take it. They could have found Hallie so much faster if she did. And they would have found out the answer to the who is the mole question faster too! I knew it was Aspen, I didn't know it was her shady ex-boyfriend. Turns out, when he was living on her couch, he was using her computer when she was asleep and sending messages to the cartel. Then, he helped Aspen and the stranger to kidnap Hallie which Zy and Trees had to rescue. Zy gets hurt during the rescue and Tessa is worried. The bosses show up at her house after everything is all over and tell her she's not fired and apologize for putting her in that position and tell her if it happens again to tell them. Zy shows up and asks her to marry him. We still don't know where Kimber is, but we do know that Tessa had nothing to do with her capture. This book sets up the next couple well. I hope they aren't as dumb as these two.  

Crime Series #9

 Point of Origin by Patricia Cornwell 

I really hate it when kids are the victims and this book has shown me that I also hate it when animals are as well. The science was still the star in this book, but the story wasn't as strong (but that might be because I was so turned off by the attack on the innocent animals to begin the book). We have arson as our method of choice this time. And it's a serial arsonist. Also, we have returned to our serial killer that spanned a few books earlier in the series; the female accomplice has broken out of the psychiatric prison she has been held in for the past five years. The serial arsonist has been working solo for a while, but he teams up with Carrie to target Kay and Lucy. He cuts the faces off of his victims, to steal their beauty. Benton is one of the victims. The arsonist is a psycho-therapist and both he and Carrie die in a helicopter crash when they are chasing Kay and Lucy, trying to kill them; but Lucy is the better pilot and the better shot. The book ends with Benton's funeral. Just when you think you've read it all, something new shows up.   

Final Book in the Series

 Christmastime Cowboy by Maisey Yates

This series was so inconsistent, but at least it ended strong. This was a second chance romance that was only Christmas because it took place in winter; it didn't have strong Christmas themes. We get Liam's background and what he kept hidden, and what he protect Alex from. We find out what really happened between him and Sabrina all those years ago. She and her father reconcile. Liam learns that he's not as closed off to love as he's always thought. I am glad that the series ended strong but I am done with this author.  

Romeo and Juliet but Make it Asian Gangsters

 Our Violent Ends by Chloe Gong

I put off reading this book because I was terrified of the emotions it was going to make me feel and it ended up being such a disappointing end. Not because it was bad, but because 1) I built it up so much in my head that it was going to be a let down no matter what and 2) the epilogue gave me hope. Roma and Juliette spend the book desperately trying to save the people they love. Roma spends a huge chunk of the book desperately in love with Juliette while also hating her because of Marshall. Then, Benedick finds out that he's alive and has to keep that secret. Finally, Juliette, in desperation tells Roma and they are back together. Their fathers want them to work together not knowing they are in love but on the outs. And the whole time I'm mad at the both of them because they won't just get over themselves and talk it out. And every time they are given the opportunity to kill each other, they can't. Juliette even goes out of her way to save Alisa, Roma's sister, but he can't see that that's her way of protecting him. When they finally get all of the answers, they marry each other in an unofficial capacity and then go out in a blaze of glory, literally, to kill the monsters that have been terrorizing the city but also killing themselves at the same time. Alisa then forges a marriage certificate for them and the book ends with her thinking she sees them on a boat, happy together. Why would you give me hope? Why? There is a spin off series for Rosalind but I'm not sure I can put myself through that. I probably will, eventually. But not yet.  

I. Hate. Cliffhangers.

 Wolf Kissed by Heather Renee

I borrowed this for free on Prime Reading and book 2 isn't available at the library or for free on Prime, only to buy or on Kindle Unlimited. I'm starting to get really irritated with Prime Reading, especially since this ended on a cliffhanger! They're really about to make me get a KU subscription. So, Cait is a nanny in Australia and she's at the beach on her day off when she gets stung or bit by something and gets this weird mark on her arm. She sends picture of it to her best friend who immediately video calls her to get a better look at it. Bestie says quit your job, I just put a bunch of money in your account and bought you a plane ticket and I'll pick you up at the airport. Meanwhile, she's getting accosted by a hot guy who is asking her what pack she belongs to and he's following her so bestie is telling her to get out of there. She quits and leaves, but bestie can't pick her up and instead sends someone she trusts to get her and he likes her immediately. When they get to the house, hot guy from the beach is there. Turns out, he lives there. Also, bestie is actually a werewolf and hot guy is her alpha. Also also, his wolf has decided that Cait is his mate. Cait isn't sure how she feels about Roman (hot guy). She spends the book learning about her mark - she's not a wolf but she is marked by the goddess and has the strength of a wolf but she doesn't know how to harness it. She and Roman are trying to figure things out. Then, she gets captured by a witch and taken through a portal and that's how the book ends. I. Hate. Cliffhangers.  

Cozy Mystery

 Finished Off by Rebecca Kent 

The thing that I love about a cozy mystery is that, no matter the genre, they all agree to give a quick review of all of the important characters at the beginning of the book. But the review isn't just a list, it makes sense in the context of the story. This is only book 2 in this series and I can't remember when I read book 1, but it was interesting enough that I decided to keep going. This takes place at a finishing school and the headmistress can see and sort of communicate with ghosts. This time it's the ghost of a young girl that she doesn't know. But through some investigating she discovers that her whole family died in a fire and she died a month later from illness. She needs their deaths to investigated and her father's name cleared before she can be at peace. The headmistress eventually figures out that the assistant bank manager was the one who was misappropriating funds and then killed his boss (the little girls dad) to cover up the theft. He almost killed the headmistress but the police inspector was there to hear his confession, but before he could arrest him he fell down the fire weakened stairs and broke his neck. The book ends with the headmistress having two potential suitors: the owner of the school and the police inspector. I personally prefer the inspector because the owner has been super condescending during each encounter whereas the inspector took her seriously and his actions are what caused the owner to make a move in the first place. I will probably continue with this series, but I am in no hurry.  

Not What I Thought

 On Rotation by Shirlene Obuobi

I do not like coming of age stories when I read YA and I do not like finding yourself stories when I read adult novels; this was more finding yourself than romance. The best part was the inclusion of Ghanaian cultural practices and customs. I found that fascinating! Angie is a third year med student who starts the book breaking up with her boyfriend before heading to her parents house for her younger sisters knocking (it's like asking for her hand in marriage but specific to Ghanaian culture). Then a few days later she meets Ricky when she's crying in a public park. They have an instant spark and spend the day together and at the end of the day he finally tells her he has a girlfriend. Then she and her friends go to a concert and meet a girl in the bathroom and she moves to sit with them and her boyfriend just happens to be Ricky, and he just so happens to be friends with one of the girls that Angie is at the concert with. She and Ricky keep running into each other: he is a volunteer at the hospital where she is assigned for one of her rotations. Then they become friends. Then he tells her his girlfriend broke up with him weeks ago and they start hanging out, but they don't define the relationship. When she finally gets the courage to ask him to define the relationship he balks. She ends things. She keeps running into the same older woman in the hospital, turns out it's his grandmother. During this time her best friend and roommate has moved out. She's trying to repair that relationship and Ricky just so happens to be besties with roomies girlfriend so she asks her if he would be open to her reaching out. She ends up spending time with him at the hospital while his dad is dying, acting as a go between for the family and the medical team. After his dad dies his grandmother tells him to go be with her and he takes her to a mural he painted of her. The epilogue is of match day a year and a half later. They are still together. She gets her second choice program but is devastated because it's in Seattle all the way across the country. Then he shows her a job offer from the same city and tells her that he had been applying for jobs in all the cities of her top five programs. Then he gets down on his knee and proposes because he knocked when she was out interviewing. I was upset about the ending on two fronts: first because she never specified what program she matched with (it is implied that it's internal medicine but not outright stated and I wanted that closure) and second because we didn't get to see how his knocking went. The cultural aspects were my favorite parts of the story and I wanted more. I wanted to like this book, but finding yourself it not my favorite.  

Soldier Series #3

 Wicked as Lies by Shayla Black 

We have yet another MMC with a stupid nickname. But unlike in the first two books, Tessa actually calls him by it. His name is Chase but when he was in the military they gave him the nickname Zyron because he looks like a taller Zac Efron. *eye roll* This book focused on Zy's task of determining whether Trees or Tessa was the company mole. Except, we get all of Zy and Tessa's backstory from when he first got the job right after she had the baby and Aspen was the temp. Then Tessa comes back to work and it's love at first sight. Then her horrible ex-boyfriend is in and out of the picture and Zy has to do body guard duty at her house and they are so domestic he's ready to risk it all but she needs the job. Then she lets the ex move in after he gets sober so Hallie can have her dad in her life, but they aren't together. But he doesn't really do anything to help around the house or to bond with the baby. Then Tessa has to go on a mission with Zy. And the entire time they are making eyes at each other. But Zy is convinced that neither of Tessa nor Trees is the mole. The book ends with the bosses changing both of their contracts and eliminating the no fraternization clause. Then, Kimber, the Colonel's only daughter, gets kidnapped. A lot and nothing happened all at the same time. We are still dealing with the ramifications of the op from the first two books and trying to solve that.  

Crime Series #8

 Unnatural Exposure by Patricia Cornwell 

I was less irritated with the decisions of the characters but the science was still the star of the show. We have a dead body in a landfill that has a mysterious rash. But this body mirrors other bodies from a serial killer. Then we get another body on a small fishing island with a similar rash and realize that the first body was just disguised to look like the serial killer to disguise the rash. We have biological warfare on our hands; someone is engineering a smallpox like virus and trying to spread it throughout the country. But, outside of the fishing island they only get one more victim: Kay's morgue assistant Wingo. I was sad that he died, but it wasn't unexpected when he revealed earlier in the story that he was HIV positive. What was surprising was who the mastermind behind the virus was: a respected colleague and scientist. But, she was bitter for being overlooked yet again for a promotion that instead went to a man and decided that she was going to get the recognition she deserved one way or another. Unfortunately for her, Kay didn't get anything more than a bad flu and was able to be there when she got arrested. Said scientist got sick and died from her own virus before she could be put on trial. We are eight book into this series and so far each of the mysteries have been unique and the science has been interesting.  

And Back to Irritating

 Wild Ride Cowboy by Maisey Yates 

This series is so inconsistent. And they switched audiobook narrators for this one! This only had one of my least favorite tropes, but the whole thing pissed me off. Dead best friends younger sister with a ten year age gap. He's 31. She's 21. And then he spent the whole book arguing with himself and anyone who would listen to him about oh, she's Jason's little sister and oh, she's too young. THEN WHAT ARE YOU DOING! Go to therapy and deal with your trauma or stop complaining about it. The only good parts of this book were when his brothers were giving him a hard time; their banter was good. The rest was irritating. And the epilogue went back in time because Cain and Allison weren't married yet, but they got married in the epilogue of their own book. The last book in this series takes place during Christmas so I'm not sure if I want to do that now and get it over with or if I want to wait and hope that it's good and risk pissing myself off again since this series can't decide if it wants to be good or not.  

Fantasy Historical Fiction

 Roaring by Lindsey Duga

This was an interesting concept. I liked the audiobook narrators. Eris is a siren. Colt is a dragon without wings. She is a singer in a speakeasy. He works for the government hunting monsters. He, initially, plans to take her back to his boss because she is the most dangerous monster in the world. But, then someone shoots up their hotel room. And someone else is also hunting them. While they are on the run together he starts to realize she isn't dangerous. He becomes a fugitive along with her. Her maker is trying to get her back and he's trying to keep her safe. They fall in love. They eventually turn to his old boss for help. She does get captured by her maker. He gets captured by his old boss. His boss believes him, but his bosses boss doesn't. His boss breaks him out and helps him rescue her. He kills her maker after rescuing 120 children from his experiments. They leave together to live happily ever after.   

Soldier Series #2

 Wicked Ever After by Shayla Black 

These are quite possibly the dumbest characters I have ever encountered. I was so irritated with them and yet so entertained. I enjoyed being mad at how dumb they were. Brea finally realized she was pregnant and didn't tell Pierce. One Mile is still a stupid name and I won't call him that. She instead calls Cutter (also a stupid name and it's his actual name). He is on bodyguard duty for a starlet and they decide they are going to get married so Brea can save face and because the starlet obviously doesn't love him back. This all happens because Brea tried to tell Pierce but he had been threated by the cartel that he is trying to kill and he wants to keep her safe. When he finds out about their engagement he causes a scene at her work and then Cutter's brother shows up and says that Cutter is cleaning up his mess. And Pierce is just as dumb as Brea because it takes him HOURS to figure out that she's pregnant. He confirms it later when he breaks into her house, looks through her laptop, finds a video from the doctor, and sees the ultrasound. Then the tracks her phone and finds her at Cutters. They make up. Also, Cutter and the starlet are caught by the paparazzi making out. She and Cutter decide to stay together for her safety because Pierce told her what was really going on. Pierce leaves again. He kills the cartel leader. Cutter and the starlet break up. Brea and Cutter break up. Pierce and Brea have a plan to finally introduce him to her dad but she gets kidnapped by the sister of the cartel leader. Pierce searches for her for hours before finding her. He exchanges himself for her. She finds his gun in the back of his car and shoots her three times before she finally dies. Then Pierce gets to meet her dad. We finally get the story of why he killed his father; turns out his dad killed his mom and he was in the process of actively beating his new girlfriend to death and the cops weren't going to get there on time so to save her he shot him - she did lose the baby. She then took custody of Pierce until he turned 18. Pierce then proposed and he gave them his blessing. Cutter and the starlet got back together and got married. The book doesn't end with Pierce and Brea's wedding, it sets up the next couple. I hope they aren't as dumb as Brea and Pierce.  

Crime Series #7

 Cause of Death by Patricia Cornwell 

This was another good installment in this crime series. Scarpetta is called to a body in the water; a reporter died while scuba diving. the cops on scene think it was accidental. It wasn't. She starts getting harassed by a young, attractive cop who ends up filing a sexual harassment claim against her. This is all tied in with a cult. The young cop was part of the cult and was their inside informant as was the NIS agent on the case. The cult takes over a nuclear power plant and they have no way to get in. Lucy is working on a robot that is used to get in. Eventually, we discover that the dead reporters girlfriend was also involved with the cult and was playing both sides. When the leader of the cult falls into the radioactive water Kay goes into the power plant to "save" him even though she knows he's going to die; she's just stalling for time. She manages to stall long enough that she needs more supplies and convinces the other cult members to use the robot to bring in the supplies. That gives the FBI time to breach and save Kay and the hostages. The mystery is good, but the science of it all is the most interesting part.