Carries Book Reviews

Ares Road
James L. Weaver
(Jake Caldwell, #2)
Published by: Lakewater Press
Publication date: March 2nd 2017
Genres: Adult, Thriller

With his days as a mob enforcer behind him, Jake Caldwell’s trying to go straight.

But it seems his past won’t let him go.

His first job working as a private investigator turns up a teenage girl screaming down a dead man’s cell phone, and Logan, his mentor and the only man with answers, beaten into a coma.

Now Jake’s taking it personally.

The only clues Jake has to unravel the mystery are a Russian with a stolen, silver briefcase and three names: Snell, Parley and Ares. Teaming up with his best friend Bear, the Sheriff of his home town, and an attractive FBI agent, Jake quickly discovers they’re not the only ones looking for the briefcase and its deadly contents.

It’s no longer about seeking revenge.

The thrilling second book in the Jake Caldwell series is a heart-stopping ride that won’t disappoint fans.

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Author Bio:

James L Weaver is the Kansas City author of the Jake Caldwell series featuring IAN Thriller of the Year finalist Poor Boy Road and soon to be released Ares Road from Lakewater Press. He makes his home in Olathe, Kansas with his wife of 19 years and two children. His previous publishing credits include a six part story called “The Nuts” and his 5-star rated debut novel Jack & Diane which is available on Amazon.com. Author note: a handful of the raters are actually not related to him.

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Up in Smoke
Natalie E. Wrye
(Kisses and Crimes, #2)
Publication date: February 27th 2017
Genres: Adult, Romance, Suspense

Rules were made to be broken. Until I broke the wrong ones…

***

Jackson Reed knew the only thing harder than his head was the insatiable one between his legs.

Sandwiched somewhere between following the law and his own instincts, he made up his own rules in the game of “private investigations”: his sacred version of the Holy Trinity.

Sex.

Career.

And more sex.

He towed the delicate line between the “three” until Penelope Castalano—a former flame he equated to the plague—re-enters his life…and obliterates it.

Fresh from Paris, his best friend’s attorney breaks the only deal they’ve ever made, sauntering back onto the Manhattan scene at a costume party with more to hide than just her face.

And now one fugitive best friend and two broken promises will ignite a new Holy Trinity in Jackson’s hazardous life.

Caught in the midst of a government coverup that compromises everything he’s ever cared for, Jackson will discover that certain scandals never die.

Only their victims do.

And he’d better make damn sure that he and Penelope aren’t next…

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EXCERPT:

I couldn’t breathe.

And it wasn’t from nervousness. Not from fear or anxiety or even the all-consuming dread that I felt the minute I heard sounds around me.

I couldn’t breathe because someone was quietly crushing my windpipe.

I thought the coast was clear. I walked back into the center of the room and into a pair of hands that were as strong as the Jaws of Life. A voice, barely more audible than a breeze, washed in heavy breaths across my frightened face.

The breaths were cool, disturbingly even, and had a sweet smell tinged with the scent of whiskey. Surprisingly pleasant, it was the only thing my terrified mind could process.

Maybe because I knew that it would be the last thing my brain would ever remember…

I tried to speak, but the sound of my voice died in my throat.

The man let go of my neck, and embarrassingly I sputtered. It was actually easier to catch my breath than I expected, like a faucet of air had been turned on within my lungs.

I breathed deeply as I tried to take a step backwards, and I wondered just who the hell this man was to have done what he had done. And though I couldn’t see his eyes… I knew he was silently daring me to even think about walking away from him.

And was that… was that a Bat suit that he was wearing…?

Author Bio:

Natalie Wrye is a tequila connoisseur, Game of Thrones addict and author best known for writing page-turning romantic mysteries and thrillers. A fan of the beautifully polarizing anti-hero, she crafts sexy stories about hard-bodied, complex men and the strong-willed women who crave them.

Find her, stalk her, take a disgusting shot with her at any one of the following:

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My Not So Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Katie Brenner has been determined to make a life for herself in the city and does everything she can think of to get her boss, Demeter Farlowe to notice her work. Demeter however instead of noticing Katie’s creativity uses her young employee to instead help her dye her roots and other menial tasks. Katie still stays determined she will make it and obtain the lifestyle she is jealous that her boss leads.

Just when Katie thinks things are starting to look up in her life though her boss decides to fire her. Having no where else to turn Katie returns home to the country with her family to help them start up a new business but keeping her jobless state a secret while she’s there. But just when Katie thinks she may have to confess to her losing her job she crosses paths with Demeter yet again.

My Not So Perfect Life was a fun contemporary romance by Sophie Kinsella. Katie was a fun character to follow as she tried to make her way in life on her own with a fun cast of supporting characters to go along with her. The story was often funny and always engaging waiting to see how things would turn out for Katie.

Another thing that made me love this story was the setting with Katie’s family in the country. They were setting up a “glamping” (glamorous camping) business which made for a fun place for a big portion of the story to take place. As much as Katie wanted to be a city girl it was nice to see her go back to her roots in this setting and really grow as a character.

Overall, really enjoyed this fun contemporary romance and watching the main character grow as she struggles to sort out her life.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

The Impossible Fortress by Jason Rekulak
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In the year 1987 Playboy released a copy with scandalous photos of the famous Vanna White which became somewhat of a Holy Grail to young teenage boys. Fourteen year old Billy Marvin and his friends were no exception and the three boys vowed to do anything to get their hands on a copy of the magazine.

When their first attempts fail miserably Billy comes up with a plan to get close to Mary Zelinsky, the daughter of the owner of the store selling the coveted Playboy that the boys are desperate to get a copy of. But Billy didn’t plan on slowing falling for Mary as the two work together on a computer program that will hopefully win them a prize.

The Impossible Fortress by Jason Rekulak was an incredibly fun read that takes place in the 80’s. All throughout the book the author did a wonderful job of reminding readers of the current events and happenings during that decade which is always a favorite of mine. That alone makes it very hard for me to dislike a story when it’s bringing smiles of remembrance while reading.

I will say with the characters in this book I really enjoyed Billy and Mary and watching their relationship grow as they worked together. Billy’s other friends though seemed a bit more trouble than you would think this shy teen would have in his life. There was also one flaw with the whole plan that does eventually get mentioned but it had me questioning things for a while so that brought my rating down a bit.

Overall, a fun read set in the 80’s with plenty of reminders of that decade.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Once In A Blue Kentucky Moon
Alexa Bloom
(The Harrisons #1)
Publication date: January 31st 2016
Genres: Adult, Romance

Not in a million years did Tatum O’Connor imagine she’d ever end up at Lockwood Farm. She’d dreamed of seeing it, like other kids dreamed of visiting Disneyland. Fast forward several years and Tatum is on the run from a haunting past. Though she’s made it to Lockwood Farm romance is the furthest thing from her mind. Now the only thing Tatum wants to do is keep her head down and work with the horses she adores—if only she didn’t have to deal with the farm’s owner, Blake Harrison. Drop dead gorgeous and cocky to boot, Blake’s the poster boy for everything Tatum’s trying to avoid. Yet despite her best intentions, the sizzling attraction between them is seducing Tatum into breaking the one promise she vowed she’d never break. As she grapples with the sensuous power of Blake’s devastating kisses, the past she thought she’d outrun is closing in fast. And time…has just run out.

Blake’s relentless hard work turned his late father’s legacy Lockwood Farm, into a thriving five-star racehorse training facility—until a freak run of bad luck has pushed it to the verge of bankruptcy. Blake’s counting on Diamond Lad to pull off the most spectacular win in horse racing at the prestigious Kentucky Derby, but when blustering owner Max McManis yanks his multi-million dollar stallion out of Lockwood—Blake is at his wit’s end. On top of that, the arrival of stunning, enigmatic Tatum O’Connor, has him doubly sucker-punched. Despite her inexplicable hostility toward him, Blake falls hard and fast for the feisty new stable-hand, whose endless chocolate doe-eyes make it damn near impossible for him to keep his hands—and lips, off her. But as Tatum’s tangled web of secrets starts to unravel, Blake is rocked by the discovery of a devastating secret that has him caught between a rock and a hard place. Now he has to decide between the family farm he cherishes, and saving the woman he’s come to love.

Once In A Blue Kentucky Moon is the first book in The Harrisons, a series capturing the perfect blend of heart, emotion and steamy romance.

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EXCERPT:

The consigner stood abruptly and ran a meaty hand over the horse’s back. As he did so, Blake noticed the colt’s big black eyes tracking his every move. The animal gave an irritable toss of the head and nickered ominously.

“He has real nice withers here,” The man continued. “Nice short back, his top line is real nice. In fact, I’d have to say, this colt’s got near perfect conformation all round. Folks,” he said, looking them both in the eye. “You are not gonna see better angles for racing—on a horse anywhere.”

Stargazer puffed and snorted impatiently, pawed at the ground as the consigner skimmed a hand along his back and moved to the rear of the horse. The girl gave a sharp tug on the reins to settle him.

“Now if you’ll look at the rump here folks, you’ll see where all that power comes from. This horse has a very dynamic hip, there’s a lot of power right here—” The man slapped the horse’s rump and with a strangled whinny, whippet-fast Stargazer shot out a hind leg, catching the man square on the shin.

“Aarghhh!” The consigner bellowed, diving for his throbbing leg with a painful grimace. “You goddamn cantankerous, son of satan!”

“Stargazer!” The girl tugged hard again. “Stop it!”

“Ah, you better take a step back there,” Blake said to the consigner. “He doesn’t seem to be in the best of moods right now.”

The man’s face paled as he realized he was still well within striking distance. He quickly hopped out of range. “Dang horse forgets his manners sometimes, is all.” He rubbed his leg gingerly and straightened with a grimace. “If you gentlemen will excuse me a few moments, I’m gonna go get some ice on this real quick. I’ll leave you to ah, peruse the animal. And ah—”

Spinning on his heel, he hobbled stiffly toward the barn, waved a puffy hand in the general direction of the white cowgirl hat on the other side of the horse. “The young lady there will answer any questions you may have. Be right back.”

Face contorting, Blake stifled a snort of laughter. Yeah, those kicks hurt like hell, he’d certainly had his share, but the guy worked with horses for crying out loud, couldn’t he read the animal? And as for slapping him on the butt, well that was just plain dumb.

“He wouldn’t be the first thoroughbred in history with a mean streak.” Mike said, breaking into Blake’s thoughts.

Blake caught him biting down on a grin. “Yeah I grant you, or maybe he’s just a great judge of character. You know that guy was right about one thing, though.”

“Oh yeah?”

“He did have a lot of power in that hip.”

Mike let out a loud guffaw, then remembering they still had company, tried unsuccessfully to disguise it with a cough. “Seriously though Blake, you’re not gonna walk away from this fella just because he’s a little high strung, are you?”

“Little high strung?” Blake raised an eyebrow at him. “There’s high strung and there’s ornery as a goddamn mule.”

“Well, alright, but he’s such a beauty.” Mike tried again. “You gotta agree, colts like this don’t come along every day of the week.”

”I know. And the guy was right about the angles. But he’s got a temper like a junkyard dog.” Blake shook his head, as he eyed the cantankerous colt. “I don’t know. I think that stubborn streak could prove too much of a liability. He’s gotta be trainable.”

He crossed to the colt and ran a hand over his silky coat. Two big dark eyes regarded him with a twinkle, seemed to exude a lively intelligence. “What’s eating you boy?” The animal’s ears twitched in response. “Don’t like people? Is that it?” Reaching into his back pocket, Blake produced a carrot and the colt devoured it greedily.

“You were right about him being a beauty,” Blake said, twisting around toward Mike. “He definitely ticks a lot of boxes. But the way things are at the farm right now, I can’t risk it. I just can’t justify the expense on a horse that probably won’t pay his way.”

“I still say you should take some time to think—“

Teeth bared, the colt snapped his head around and tried to nip at Blake’s hand. “Hey!” Blake sprang back, whipping his hand out of the horse’s reach. “No you don’t buddy! Didn’t anybody ever tell you not to bite the hand that feeds you!”

“Stargazer!” The girl cursed from the other side of the colt, yanking on his reins. “Will you quit trying to pull my arm off!”

Cheeky bugger had nearly gotten the better of him, Blake chastised himself. He should have known better than to let himself get distracted like that. The girl was keeping a white-knuckle grip on Stargazer’s reins now he noticed, but it was too late. There was no way he was buying this colt. Stargazer had a truckload of attitude and just flat out didn’t like being told what to do.

The ever-present knot in his gut twisted, turned. Damn it. When he’d seen the colt amble out of the barn earlier, he’d really thought this could be the one—the champion racer he desperately needed to save Lockwood Farm.

Instead, he’d just seen his last ditch hope to save his Daddy’s farm go up in smoke.

***

Tension thrummed through Tatum’s veins, as she kept her head down. Her nerves were wound so tight, she felt like she was going to explode. Thank goodness she’d worn her big white hat to work today, because it was turning out to be a life-saver.

Still, despite the nerve-wracking situation she found herself in, a smirk crept onto her face. Stargazer kicking Buzz in the shins had been the funniest thing she’d seen in a long time. It had taken all her self-restraint not to laugh out loud, but she’d made it this far, she had to keep it together a little longer.

She’d had an absolute heart attack when she’d spied Uncle Mike from the barn. She’d immediately told Buzz she wasn’t feeling well, had begged him to let Enrique lead Stargazer out instead. But true to form, Buzz had told her to quit her moaning and get

her butt outside pronto. He’d said he had a great prospect and he wasn’t about to lose him on her account.

Now she was standing here with just a horse between her and her Uncle Mike, hoping to goodness he didn’t realize it was her. Luckily for her, he’d seemed so completely besotted with Stargazer—he wasn’t paying the least bit of attention to the girl on the other side of the horse. Otherwise, she might have had some explaining to do.

What the heck was Mike doing out here at the sales yard anyway, she wondered. He wasn’t a horse trader. He was a veterinarian, consulting at whatever farm happened to call him in to come treat an ailing horse. It must have something to do with that guy he was with, she thought. Mike was probably advising him whether Stargazer was a good buy or not.

The guy had been pretty darn hot actually, Tatum mused. Not that she could see him now, but with his hot body and smouldering blue eyes, he’d made quite an impression when she’d spied him from the barn earlier.

He was rugged. A man’s man, she knew the type. Exactly the type she’d vowed to stay the hell away from, from now on in her life. Never again was she going to fall for the good-looking guy with the great body and the over-sized ego to match. They were arrogant as hell and mean to boot. God knew, she could vouch for that first-hand.

But right now, something about the guy was tugging at her consciousness. He was familiar somehow, though she just couldn’t think how. Well, it would come to her later. Right now, she just had to keep her head down and stay out of sight. Whatever the reason Uncle Mike hadn’t spotted her, she planned on keeping it that way. She wasn’t ready to deal with things, yet. Not any of it.

Author Bio:

Hi folks,

I’d like to be able to tell you I was one of those people who told stories from the age of two, wrote them voraciously from age three and a half, and spent my entire life in a library reading any book I could lay my hands on from that point forward. But sadly…that would be a complete fiction. (Ironic, isn’t it?)

The fact is, I’m one of those people who could never quite figure out what to do with their lives. I’ve worked variously in office admin, as a teacher, singer, voice-over artist, colour consultant… If you can think of it, chances are I’ve probably tried it:)

Fast forward one change of country (Australia to Canada) and two children later, I don’t think I found writing so much, as it found me. And I’m sure glad it did, because I can finally say I’ve found what I’m supposed to do:)

I’ve loved writing my first contemporary romance series The Harrisons, and I hope you’ll enjoy meeting each of the seven Harrison siblings as much as I have.

Happy reading

XXX Alexa

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