PERFECTLY BROKEN

PERFECTLY BROKEN            PRESCOTT LANE

Even after years of trauma therapy, Peyton still believes she’s broken. She has little desire to date or show off her natural beauty, content simply to hang out with her best friends and run her pie shop in New Orleans. But her world turns upside-down when a handsome architect and self-confessed player shows up in her shop and thinks she’s perfect, much more than the usual hook-up. While Peyton does her best to resist his charms, believing she could never be enough for him, she can’t deny the obvious heat between them. With Reed determined to have her, Peyton must decide whether to continue to hide behind her apron and baggy clothes or take a chance and share her scars with Reed, a man with a playboy reputation and scars of his own -- a dark past he can’t possibly share with Peyton, not after learning the horrors she’s endured. But if they can find a way to trust each other, and themselves, they just might be able to heal, to save each other, to live perfectly broken together.

HUBBY'S REVIEW:
A story about two people who are broken and are wanting to heal but don’t know how until they meet each other. Peyton runs a pie shop from the recipes her grandmother passed down, and for the last four years she has been going to a therapist to help overcome her trauma. That is only working a little bit, she runs, not only for health but from and for her mental health. Besides baking pies. Reed is trying to overcome the damage his father did to the family when he was in high school and he is still doing to Reed. Together they still need to overcome their past in order to have a future. Reed wants a relationship with Peyton and does things out of character for him in order to show her that he is serious, but she is a tough shell to crack. What hurts his chances at times also is an ex and family friend by the name of Heather. She along with his father make it difficult for him, but if he is serious about Peyton he must rid these two people from his life. This is a very emotional story and at times you hate his father and Heather, for the things they say not only to him but also to Peyton. I found this to be to be true in real life as well, for the people close to you usually hurt you the must for whatever reason. An outstanding story with emotion and the characters have depth all of them. A 5 star book. I got this book from net galley. I gave it 5 stars. Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com

SWAY

SWAY                             KATHERINE SAVAGE

Evening Murray has worked hard her whole life and never minded being alone. Now, she's finally reached her goal with a position in the British Security Service's ultra-secret Department. Eve has always been interested in behind-the-scenes power and sway, and with her job in The Department she can truly make a difference. There's only one problem: She's completely fallen for her boss. 

Ronan Blackwood is beyond brilliant, influential, mysterious, and devastatingly gorgeous. He's also distant, perfectly polite, controlled, and cold. Eve longs to find out what goes on behind his frosty blue eyes and what lies beneath his wintry exterior. It's all she can do to hide how badly she wants him, day in and day out. 

When shots are fired during a daring attack, Ronan and Eve follow protocol and flee to an isolated safe house. There, Eve's iron will deserts her, and the two share a passion beyond her wildest dreams (which is saying something!) Eve begins to see a side of Ronan she never imagined existed, sensual, thoughtful, and unbelievably sexual. Being with Ronan awakens her, makes her feel alive, makes her giddy with desire, and all she wants is more. 

But the road ahead for these two will not be easy. Not everyone is happy that Eve is spending time with the boss, and one of the other Department agent's jealousy swiftly turns poisonous, exposing Eve to grave danger. While the connection between Ronan and Eve grows ever hotter and stronger, Ronan realizes he will do anything to protect Eve and the feelings he is developing for her. But becoming closer to her means he must reveal the terrible secret that he harbors, a secret which will change both of their lives forever and threatens to tear them apart… 

Sway is intended for Mature Audiences, 18+ 

Sway is an exciting, thrilling, sexy love story with a paranormal twist, featuring an intriguing alpha male hero and plucky, irreverent heroine who can't believe she could get this lucky... 

Sway is currently a standalone novel, containing an entire story arc, and does not end in a cliff hanger! Instead of waiting for sequels you are getting the whole story in one volume, for one price. Although the main characters have hinted that they may need the author to write more of their adventures in the future, Sway is an entire story in one book. 

HUBBY'S REVIEW:

I must say for a love story this book at times was just that. A wonderful love story of two people coming together and Ronan finally being able to be with a women and allow himself to have emotions towards Evening was good. Though in the middle of the story it took a tragedy for him to really come to this conclusion was a little much. The two main problems I had with this book was the length and the constant time in seconds. I do know the last part was supposed to go along with his character but at times this was just annoying. It also felt like this book was never going to end and it took me a while to read it putting it down and then picking it back up again. I did like the characters in the book. I got this book from netgalley. I gave it 3 stars. Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com 

HEART OF A BAD BOY (Destiny #3)

HEART OF A BAD BOY             SUGAR JAMISON

The Bad Boys of Destiny are back and this sexy charmer will stop at nothing to win the heart of the one woman who never let him down. 

Shelly Walker was born to be good. Raised by her deeply religious, prison guard father, Shelly was taught that good girls follow the rules—and definitely don’t sin. Just as her father announces he’s arranging her marriage, Shelly’s childhood friend-turned-TV host, Levi King, unexpectedly returns. With his sexy smile and bad boy charm he’s the type of guy who has sin written all over him.

Levi has been fond of Shelly since childhood, but when he returns to town, he sees that the delicate girl he knew has turned into a bombshell. Levi encourages Shelly to shake things up, but when Shelly tells him that she’s considering obeying her father and starting a family, Levi realizes that being with Shelly means more to him than just a good time. Will Shelly follow the rules or will she take a chance on the bad boy?

HUBBY'S REVIEW:
This is the third and last book in the series with the King Brothers. The story begins as the last two books do with the brothers driving to the town they grew up in, Destiny. There is a little more talk between Levi and Duke, before the phone call about their Aunt. Once back in Destiny you pick up Levi’s story and how he became friends with Shelly at the age of eight. He takes you through different times of their lives together growing up and now how he is trying to move forward in his life on his next journey whatever that may be. Shelly is home alone for a month during the summer after taking her father to meet his brother, so they may vacation in Florida. She has no idea that Levi is coming home or that Lolly is in the hospital. Shelly has decided that she wants to make this summer a summer of firsts and Levi is just the right person to help her. With the summer winding down and both of them confused in how the relationship is going it is up to Levi to make Shelly realize that she is more than just a friend, and her father who surprises her tells her to allow herself to be open for love and not to be scared. Both surprises. This is a fabulous story and one that I was wanting to read. There are a lot of good moments especially when Levi finally write her letters and the way he delivers them is very romantic. Also the epilogue brings a close to all three stories. A very good book. I got this book from netgalley. I gave it 5 stars. Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com 

AT ANY COST (U.S. Marshals #4)

AT ANY COST                          MANDY BAXTER

Fast, cunning, and driven, he'll do whatever it takes to nail the most violent federal perps. But she is the one danger he'll never see coming… 

She can't remember when she wasn't afraid. She can't go to the police. And "Olivia Gallagher" is only a day away from fleeing her Idaho wilderness life before biker gang leader Joel Meecum finally catches up with her. So keeping her rugged new neighbor at arm's length is the only safe play. Until Livy can't resist one last hungry chance to feel alive…

For U.S. Marshal Nick Brady, taking his vacation next door to Meecum's ex-girlfriend seemed the smartest way to find him. But suddenly, nothing is making sense. How could this feisty, straight-talking brunette ever get mixed up with Meecum's brutal crew? And why is he breaking his oath and getting so close that all he wants is to keep her safe? Now as the clock ticks, Nick and Livy's only chance at escape may be the one they can't survive…

HUBBY'S REVIEW:
This story opens with U.S. Marshall, Nick Brady being called into his bosses’ office and being dressed down for working cases that he is not assigned, but also he does not work for that unit. Being new to the Marshalls he is expected to do 6 months of court duty. This for him is boring, so on his off hours he takes a fugitive file off someone’s desk and tracks that person down making an arrest. Which is probably why he is not fired but told to take a month off. Before leaving the office he grabs a file he was working on and decides to follow up. He is looking for Olivia Gallagher who has been on the run for four years. Going through the file he notices some similarities with a person in a small town in Idaho. She goes by Livy and he decides to go there and check her out since he has a month off. After being there for a couple of days she gets stuck in snow and he feels that this is his chance to get close to her. After helping her and then later with groceries he is fairly certain that she is the person he is looking for. But there is someone else looking for as well. The person that made her run in the first place. His name is Joel Meecum he runs a biker club, gang and has a 5,000 dollar reward out for her. Nick thinks that she is Joel’s ex-girlfriend, but could not be farther from the truth. Nick and Livy start to spend more time together and they both like one another, but they each need to tell the other one what is going on. They are getting ready to do this, and tell each other their love for one another when Joel and 4 of his crew show up to now take them both out. This was a good book full of sex, and mystery when you find out why she was running, and if they are going to make it out alive, and if they are going to make it period. A good book. I got this book from netgalley. I gave 4 stars. Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com

WORTH IT ALL (The McKinney Brothers #3)

WORTH IT ALL                  CLAUDIA CONNOR

She’s fighting for control. . . . Paige Roberts learned to fend for herself growing up. Now she’s doing everything possible to give her daughter, Casey, the stability she never had. But when the vivacious five-year-old decides she’s done wearing her prosthesis, Paige faces her toughest challenge yet: trusting a handsome, brooding stranger who simply wants to help.

He’s struggling to connect. . . . JT McKinney lost more than his leg in a car accident that stole his dreams of pro football. Eight years later, he's made a new life for himself far away from his old one. His business is developing cutting-edge prosthetics and he’s more than happy to turn his attention to machines instead of people. Still, he can’t shake the feeling that something’s missing.

Will they take a chance on love? . . . When JT gets the chance to help Paige’s daughter, he takes it. He never planned on the two of them tearing down his walls or teaching him to believe in himself again. Paige might not believe in happily ever afters, but JT wants more than anything to be her prince. They’ll both have to let go of the past if they want a future.

HUBBY'S REVIEW:

J.T. McKinney eight years ago was on the fast track to a college football career and anything he could accomplish to be successful as his brother and one sister. The youngest in his family he thought everything was good until home from school on a break and he was in a car accident. He lost his leg and his girlfriend dumped him as soon as he woke up from surgery. He ended up moving to the west coast getting a degree from Stanford and while in school got a patient on a new prosthetic. He took that money and with two friends opened a facility in designing and coming up with new ideas. Now he spends his time on machines instead of people. This has been going on for years and the only people he has contact with is the ones that work at his company. He has not gone home in years and now after going to the same dinner for the last few weeks he is noticing a new waitress. He wants to ask her out on a date but that same day she has brought her daughter into work and he notices that she is missing a leg. The next day he comes back but is wearing shorts and starts talking to the girl again. This she and her mother notice his prosthetic. Paige the waitress is attracted to him but is surprised that she never noticed his leg before, she was always looking at his eyes and his body. Now looking out for her daughter she does not want to date. J.T. first gets her to let him into their lives by fixing her daughters leg, but then decides that in order for her to wear it he will make her one and she can pick out the parts. This is when she finds out that he owns the company and really does not want anything from but her time. Human contact. Paige and her daughter help bring him back to the living. Also they help him bring him back to his family. Now will he take the next step and make them a family or do what he has done since the accident? Which is run away. Read the book to find out. a very good story that is well written and full of emotion. The characters are full of depth and you feel like you are right there at times when reading the book. A definite 5 star book. I got this book from netgalley. I gave it 5 stars. Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com

HEART BREAKER

HEART BREAKER                ERIN MC CARTHY

Self-made singer/songwriter Jolene Hart loves everything about being on top in Nashville. Well, everything except her very public breakup with Chance Rivers, her sexy masculine other half. Once the hottest duo on the scene, they turned Music City on its ear. Now their careers are as cold as their relationship. Which is why their manager has practically locked them in a remote cabin with nothing but a guitar, a bed, and time to do what they do best: make some beautiful music together.

As Nashville royalty, Chance has big boots to fill—and the pressure that comes with ’em. He fell hard for Jolene, but he couldn’t handle the spotlight, the crowds, and the fights that made headlines and killed any notion that love and success could go hand-in-hand. Still, Chance is more than willing to rekindle the one thing that worked: the wild passion behind their hit songs. Soon they’re making up for lost time, in the steamiest ways possible. But Chance finds himself wishing for the impossible: that their intimate hideaway could last forever.

Includes a special message from the editor, as well as an excerpt from another Loveswept title.
 

HUBBY'S REVIEW:
This is a fun story with some sex, and a whole lot of attitude. The female lead Jolene, is from a poor background but has made it in the country music business as a singer and song writer. Her one time writing partner and sometimes duet partner Chance Rivers is from country royalty. The first time together they made good music and she thought they were good together in all the ways. That was until a women jumped up on stage at their last concert and hugged him longer than she thought she should plus he did not act like it was a big deal. For Jolene it was. Her father was a drunk and abused their mother and then ran out on them, so for her since they were dating he should have not played it up so much. Needless to say they broke up and after 6 months their manager now has tricked them into being together in the same room to work out there problems in order to do another record. They both want another hit but do they want to work together again? To let you know they do decide to write again, but their first hit songs were written in bed naked. So you have to read the book to see if they can not only get back to that point, but not kill each other. This is a very good story and I do like the two main characters. I give this 4 stars.  I got this book from netgalley. Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com

CUFF ME (New York's Finest #3)

CUFF ME                           LAUREN LAYNE

Meet New York's Finest-three hot brothers sworn to protect and serve the city they love . . . and the women who've stolen their hearts.

ARRESTED BY LOVE

Vincent Moretti is one of the NYPD's top homicide detectives-and one of the most eligible bachelors in town. His family, however, thinks he should date his longtime partner, Jill-a sassy, sexy, smart-mouthed blonde who drives him absolutely crazy.

Behind the quiet authority, tough-guy demeanor, and dark aviator glasses lies a man with a big soul-and a hard body that can soften any girl's heart. After years as his coworker, Jill Henley has given up hope that anything could happen between her and Vin. Besides, loving him would break all the rules. But seeing Jill with someone else triggers feelings in Vincent he never knew he had. Now he'll have to stop playing good cop/bad cop-and find a way to convince her to be his partner for life. . .

HUBBY'S REVIEW:
This is the third book in this series and I must say I was looking forward to reading this one. Vincent Moretti has been waiting for his partner of six years to return from Florida where she was taking care of her mother for three months. Now that Jill is coming home he is trying to decide what to get her for the party his family is throwing for her tonight. He of course like most guys waits to the last minute and has to go to the other side of Manhattan to get her favorite maple bar. When Jill gets off the plane her best friend and the sister to the Moretti boys picks her up and Jill announces that she is engaged. The party starts and Vince shows up 30 minutes late. He is told by his brothers that Jill is engaged and by the time he gives her the doughnut it is smashed. Jill still likes it because that means he remembered her first day with him as his new partner and how she told him how she liked maple bars, plus he went to her favorite doughnut shop to get it. Though he says he is okay he is more gruff, and surly than normal. He does not want to talk about her engagement and he feels like he missed the boat in telling Jill that he has feelings for her. He cannot tell her now because he thinks she will think it will be only because she is now taken. She has always had feelings for him but she thought he had none for her. They pick up a new case and for the first time they are having problems solving this case. The suspects and lack of evidence is slowly them down and it is looking like their perfect record will go by the way side. They are though realizing that there is something between them and she is hoping that he would just say something to her. He of course can’t seem to get the courage to say anything to her and when he finds out that her engagement has been called off he is still not doing anything. That is until his father and two brothers get a hold of him. A good story with just as many twist and turns with the murder case they are working as with Vincent, and his lack of acting on his feelings. Will he lose the girl again? Read the book and find out. I got this book from netgalley. I gave it 5 stars. Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com 

SAVING A LEGEND (Kavanagh Legends #2)

SAVING A LEGEND           SARAH ROBINSON

His family’s gym has produced a roster of mixed martial arts legends, but so far Kieran Kavanagh hasn’t followed in their footsteps. After a brawl lands him in jail, Kieran is assigned to work at a center for at-risk youth. Though given a second chance, Kieran’s simply going through the motions—until he meets one very special kid, Shea Doherty, and falls hard for her very beautiful, very grown-up big sister, Fiona. The trouble is, Kieran’s best opening moves are getting him nowhere fast.

Fiona Doherty has too many responsibilities to fool around, especially now that she has custody of Shea. Sure, she’d love to find a devoted partner. But she won’t jeopardize her sister’s happiness—or risk revealing her tortured past—on a love-’em-and-leave-’em type of guy like Kieran . . . so it’s up to him to prove her wrong. As Fiona spends more time with Kieran, she starts to see a softer side of the reckless warrior. Now she must admit that when it comes to the possibility of real love, well . . . there’s a fighting chance.

Includes a special message from the editor, as well as an excerpt from another Loveswept title. 

HUBBY'S REVIEW:
This was a good story about two people who both are trying to put the behind them. Kieran is part of a large family and was looking at following his older brother into the MMA ring but instead got caught up with the wrong people and trying to make some fast cash by doing under ground fighting. He ends up in prison for 1and ½ years of a two year sentence. Knowing that if he makes a mistake he could go back anywhere from 30 days to half a year. Going to his families Sunday night dinner he goes to buy his mom some flowers and meets a flower girl Fiona who actually owns the flower shop. He is immediately attracted to her and proceeds to ask her out on a date. She declines though she does think he is very attractive she does not feel she is allowed to date or give herself any good times because she is raising her sister who is autistic. She puts all of her needs first, plus because of her past she does not think she should be happy. They continue to run into one another because he needs to do community service and the place he is doing it at is the same place her sister goes to in the afternoon. Fiona’s best friend is the person in charge of the center and though she tells her about a parolee, Fiona does not think it is Kieran. He helps her with her sister and when they are displaced his parents take in Fiona and her sister. This is when she starts to figure out that there is something else going on with Kieran, and she is getting nervous because she has gotten more attracted to him after they went out on a few dates. When Kieran is arrested at the center by his parole officer because he caught two children smoking a joint in a closet. Not wanting the girls or the center, or parent getting in trouble he does not speak up and ends up doing 30 days. Fiona is upset, but also knows why he did it. Though she does not want to continue to see him she still has not told him her secret from her past. They both must overcome each other’s past and hope for a future. This is a good story and describes a lot of issues parents deal with autistic children. A very good book. I got this book from netgalley. I gave it 5 stars. Follow us atwww.1rad-readerreviews.com

THE AFTERMATH (The Hurricane #2)

THE AFTERMATH                      R.J. PRESCOTT

When you’ve got nothing, you’ve got nothing to lose. But what happens when you have everything you ever wanted? You fight to keep it.

Cormac “the Hurricane” O’Connell’s star is on the rise. Billed as the most promising young boxer of his generation, his new career is taking him to places he never dreamed. But O’Connell only needs one thing in life: his wife. In her final year of college, Em cannot follow him around the world but together they make it work.

Just when everything they ever wanted is on the horizon, the past resurfaces to haunt them and O’Connell realizes that justice might not be a part of his happy ever after.

He couldn’t protect Em once before, but in the aftermath of the hurricane, he will make sure that never happens again.
 

Hubby's Review:
This is the second book after the book titled Hurricane. Con and Em are married but he is still dealing with anger issues from the last book and this causes him to lose focus during a bout against a rival and now he is mad over that as well. The trial starts against Em’s father and that adds to his frustration, he now must also train for a title fight and Danny has him hire a manager and even that pisses him off. I have to say this book might be a little better than first book which is hard to do. You get more in depth with all of the characters not just Con and Em. You also get into his back ground at the beginning and more of what she went through at her home. You find out that her mother is worst now than she was in the first book, and you see the love they have for one another and how their love actually is what is healing the other person. Em is helping him with his anger and got him to talk to someone, and she is going to a counselor. Doing this all while she is finishing her math degree, and him training for his big fight. There are many scenes I like in this book but one I can tell without giving to much is when she graduates. A very moving scene. I like how the author went into each of the other characters a little more and they have a bigger role in this book. She also added a few new characters as well which was nice. A very outstanding story to what was already a very good book. 5 stars! I got this book from netgalley. I gave it 5 stars. Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com 

THE BLOOD OF INNOCENTS

THE BLOOD OF INNOCENTS             JOHN BRIDGES

Did the churches ever really understand Jesus?
Or was he doing something very different?

Set after a violent rebellion in Roman-occupied Judea, The Blood of Innocents explores the political conflicts behind the Passover that became the first Easter.

A young man is captured by the Romans as they savagely put down a violent revolt. Along with thousands of other pilgrims, his family arrive in Jerusalem for Passover to find themselves enmeshed in the politics of rebellion. The Hebrews still yearn for the long-promised ‘anointed one’ to free them, yet crucified rebels still hang by the roadsides. Can Gad and Anna now save their own son from the cross?

Meanwhile Jeshua ben Joseph, a rabbi loved by the poor and loathed by the powerful, also comes to Jerusalem for Passover. Will he, like the prophet of old, call down fire from heaven onto Roman heads? The High Priests fear he will just bring down more Roman violence onto Jewish heads. Isn’t it better that one man dies than the whole nation? Even an innocent man?

HUBBY'S REVIEW:
This is the author take on the story of Easter at least the days leading up to the first Easter. How the people behind the scenes may have orchestrated what they believed to be the death of a man that causing them frustration among there people and how could he associate with the type of people he did was appalling. How the leaders working with the Romans put him to death, but also some of the Romans wanted nothing to do with what they felt was not their fight. The author explains that this is just his view or take on what may have happened. I got this book from netgalley. I gave it 3 stars. Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com

MAKE AHEAD BREAD

MAKE AHEAD BREAD                  DONNA CURRIE

From the simplest dinner rolls to traditional croissants and all types of yeast breads in between, home cooks—even those short on time and skill--CAN bake fresh bread from scratch. How is this possible? By breaking the process into two separate steps, with the mixing and kneading done the day before and the baking done when the next day. And the best part? Not only does this make bread baking much easier to fit into a busy schedule, but it also results in a better finished bread product.
 
The make-ahead bread concept focuses on a long, slow rise, so that the dough rests for a day or two, allowing it to develop flavor (called fermentation by pro bakers). This means that home cooks no longer have to be a slave to their kitchen when they have dough resting. Instead, they could be at work, playing with their kids, sleeping—or doing anything they want.
 
Make Ahead Bread features 100 yeast bread recipes that benefit from the long rise method so that home cooks can have freshly baked bread whenever they want it, any day of the week. In addition, cooks will find recipes for homemade butters, spreads, and sauces as well as recipes for using up leftover bread.

HUBBY'S REVIEW:
This is a good cook book in that it gives you easy instructions. First in the equipment, ingredients, and other essential items that you will need in order to make bread, or any of the other recipes in this book. Second the author gives you easy to follow instructions and tips if you have never made bread before. Third she gives you other recipes besides just bread, example almond butter. She also gives you tips on what to do you with the left overs with some types you can make your own bread crumbs for example. I found this book to be a very useful guide for I do like to make bread. A good book for the beginner to a person you is experienced in the kitchen. I got this book from netgalley. I gave it 5 stars. Follow us atwww.1rad-readerreviews.com 

GLORY ROAD

GLORY ROAD                  BRUCE CATTON

In the second book of the Army of the Potomac Trilogy, Bruce Catton—one of America’s most honored Civil War historians—once again brings the great battles and the men who fought them to breathtaking life. As the War Between the States moved through its second bloody year, General Ambrose Burnside was selected by President Lincoln to replace the ineffectual George “Little Mac” McClellan as commander of the Union Army. But the hope that greeted Burnside’s ascension was quickly dashed in December 1862 in the wake of his devastating defeat at Fredericksburg.
 
Following Burnside’s exit, a mediocre new commander, Joseph “Fighting Joe” Hooker, turned a sure victory into tragedy at Chancellorsville, continuing the Union’s woes and ensuring Robert E. Lee’s greatest triumph of the war. But the tide began to turn over the course of three days in July 1863, when the Union won a decisive victory on the battlefield of Gettysburg. Months later, Lincoln would give his historic address on this ground, honoring the fallen soldiers and strengthening the Union Army’s resolve to fight for a united and equal nation for all of its people.
 
With brilliant insight, color, and detail, Catton interweaves thrilling narratives of combat with remarkable portrayals of politics and life on the home front. Glory Road is a sweeping account of extraordinary bravery and shocking incompetence during what were arguably the war’s darkest days.

HUBBY'S REVIEW:

This is an excellent story told in a way that makes you forget that the two armies are walking into battle until the guns go off. The way he writes is almost like he was there and is telling the story to family members around a fire and there is not a sound except his voice describing the scene. You the reader are taken to a different place though you know what is going to happen, yet you are still surprised. A very good writer, and a good book as well. I got this book from net galley. I gave it 5 stars. Follow us atwww.1rad-readerreviews.com 

The Complete Francis of Assisi

The Complete Francis of Assisi                      Jon M.Sweeney

There are many editions of the writings of Francis, and biographies about him, but here in one volume are both, plus the complete text of the late medieval work The Little Flowers, which did more to establish the legend of the man than any other work. This “Paraclete Giants” edition includes the complete Road to Assisi, Paul Sabatier’s groundbreaking biography of Francis, first published in French in 1894 and re-issued and annotated in English translation in 2002; the complete Francis in His Own Words: The Essential Writings; and The Little Flowers, thus offering the best introduction to St. Francis yet available. 

"It is not simply that Francis’s ideals are worth recounting, but that his life was so extraordinary. He was fully human—like each of us in our awkwardness, insecurities, and fear—but he was also perhaps the purest example we have seen of a person striving to do what Jesus taught his disciples.”—Jon M. Sweeney, from this book

Hubby's Review;
This book is by far the most complete and comprehensive book about ST. Francis that I have read. Like the title reads it is reading three books in one, and really some of the information in this book is either not in some of the previous books I read about the Saint or you would have to purchase them separately. Plus by getting Paul Sabatier’s work that was first published in 1894 is a much added bonus and that book by itself is amazing, but you are also getting Little Flowers, and his own works which is by itself an important piece of work. So having three books in one is fabulous. This goes without saying that it is a 5 star book and for anyone who wants to learn about a Saint who did not think he was very important this is the book to start with. I got this book from netgalley. I gave it 5 stars. Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com (

SECRETLY HERS (Sterling Canyon #2)

SECRETLY HERS                      JAMIE BECK
On her thirty-first birthday, hopeless romantic Kelsey Callihan has all but given up on happily ever afters, which is why she agrees to a risqué proposition from Sterling Canyon’s notorious playboy, backcountry skier Trip Lexington. After all, every girl needs a little fun, and with Trip, there are no mixed signals or risks of a broken heart. And if his tips can help her land a husband in the process, all the better.
Trip couldn’t be happier with his secret, no-strings fling with sweet and sexy Kelsey until she calls it quits after meeting a man she believes could share her dream of marriage and family. His jealousy turns to outrage when he discovers that the man is his estranged half brother and lifelong rival.
Now Trip must decide whether the fire in his gut is due to sibling rivalry or something much more dangerous…like love.
MY REVIEW:
When you know nothing but fear and a life of scorn can you ever trust anything but especially love?  Especially love when the two people that you love more than anything in the world have abandon you?  As an adult he can now reason it out logically but as a child it was one of sheer fear, pain, and utter devastation.
     You see Trip Lexington’s mother had an affair with his father who turned out to be a married man with a new baby boy at home who seemed to be getting all his wife’s attention.  Feeling neglected he found it someplace else and with Trip’s mom.  It was never about love just a strong like.  Since Trip’s mom knew this she planned never to tell Trip’s dad about his son.  The only problem with that she never expected to be passing away from pancreatic cancer.  Truly a game changer.
     Trip had never missed having a father for he had the best grandfather ever.  He never had a son and he would do the male outdoor bonding adventures needed with Trip.  Giving him a love for the great outdoors.  He even carried his granddad’s last name.  When the time drew near she called his father to explain that he had a son and that she was dying.
     Once he was legally adopted by his father he went to live with the three of them.  Yet, he was made to feel like he was the one who committed the crime in the marriage not his father.  All he wanted was his mom and granddad not to be supposedly taking the place of his spoiled step brother like he thought.  When all he’s ever wanted was his mother and grandfather to be alive.  (His grandfather has now passed on also.)  Also to be in a home where there is love and things are real and not expensive gifts given to show love instead of given love.  Where it is all fake.
     Then he moves to this small mountain community and meets this sexy-voluptuous Kelsey Callihan.   That is until his friend and business partner Grey calls her Boomerang because she keeps coming back.  You see she was gunning for a husband and she had her sights set on Grey.  Until he started dating her best friend Avery.  Then she backed off.
     You see Kelsey grew up in a family of Happily Ever After.  You know the ones where the fairytales match the real world in the world she grew up in.  Even extended out in a lot of the families her parents and family members they associated with so at thirty-one Kelsey’s time clock was ticking and she was getting nervous.
     She had her career on the right path as she saw it but her personal life was not anywhere near that point.  At the present she now had her sights on Wade Kessler the one she is helping negotiate a project.  Yet, as Trip watched she was trying way too hard and Wade was totally not interested.  On the other hand, he was, since the day he had arrived eight months ago.  Grey had warned him off though because he knew him and his policy on no repeat dating or dating, no marriage, and since she’s both he did want her hurt which could cause his relationship problems.  He got it but it did sting.
     On this day he couldn’t keep quiet so he told her she could do better and that he could help because he had overheard her say she hadn’t had sex in a while.  He was just the man for the job.  Kelsey had to admit she was intrigued by his offer for she was attracted to him since the day he arrived.  Yet, she wasn’t attracted to all the women he had bedded since he arrived.  Yet, she wasn’t attracted to all the women he had bedded since being in the town.  She told him too.  He at least had the good sense to be embarrassed.
     So he came up with a bet that they could get her a man if she followed her rules and he could get hers and his itch met with no strings if she was game.  She said sure if he put up the cowboy hat she had taken from him the night he played the gentleman.  You see she had gotten a little tipsy on her birthday and he carried her home and his hat was in the way and she put it on her head and forgot to take it off.  The hat means the world to him for it belonged to his granddad. 
     At first he said, “NO!”  Because that was his granddad’s and means so much.  So then she says, “No Bet.”  But for some reason he really wanted to have her in his bed.  So he said, “Yes!” 
     See how this fairytale unfolds.  Will true love win out or will fear take over and put a choke hold on a romance doomed to fail from the beginning?  I loved how they bantered all through this book but it was all done with humor.  But I really enjoyed how Kelsey never forced him into anything.  Yet, at the same time I feel sorry for her that when she really was feeling unsure that she could use her voice to really tell him what she was feeling for fear he would bolt.
      I give this 5++++ stars.  Provided by netgalley.com.  Follow us at: www.1rad-readerreviews.com.

COWBOY PLAYER (Cowboy Cocktail #3)

COWBOY PLAYER                       MIA HOPKINS

This cowboy and cowgirl sell the steak and the sizzle.

Cowboy Cocktail, Book 3

For eight years, Melody Santos played the game of love and lost—big time. Now she’s back in her tiny hometown looking after her younger sister, making ends meet with an assortment of odd jobs. When her childhood best friend hires her to help him sell his family’s grass-fed beef, the last thing she anticipates is falling in lust with the legendary, brown-eyed player.

To put his family’s cattle ranch back in the black, Clark MacKinnon has his sights set on big contracts—gourmet chefs and restaurateurs. If that means long hours traveling from farmer’s market to farmer’s market, Clark doesn’t mind. Particularly since his new assistant is his childhood crush, all grown up and sexy as hell.

One night in bed leaves them breathless and hungry for more. But when his love-’em-and-leave-’em reputation collides with her trust issues, Clark and Melody must face the truth about what they’ve become: not friends, not lovers, but players in a game that’s impossible to win.

Warning: Contains filthy banter, raunchy sex, excessive Johnny Cash references, and hundreds of pounds of raw beef.

MY REVIEW:
     The MacKinnon family farm has always seemed like home to Melody and Harmony Santos.  You see their father was the foreman there.  But when he passed away the family was taken under the wing of the MacKinnon’s.  They were there for every holiday or event.  Melody and Clark were the closest in age of the three MacKinnon boys.  So the two of them did everything together.  Melody could give as good as she got.  Even in her Sunday best.
     Clark always had a soft spot for her though he never told anyone.  So whenever one of their pranks backfired he made sure to take the heat for their actions.  Both Clark and Melody were smart as whips and would challenge each other to be better.  He always knew his heart was hers.  Yet, his brothers were both heartbreakers and he had a rep to uphold like them being he was told he was handsome just like them.  So around his junior high years he came into his own so their friendship wasn’t as close as it once had been.
     Melody had her own way of getting back him back on even ground and letting him know his head was getting to big for his own good.  She would do things like sign him up for the academic decathlon and things like that to keep him grounded.  He decided that for college he would stick to a local one.  Where for Melody she decided she would be going to San Diego to get herself a teaching degree.  The thing that bummed him out was that he still hadn’t told her how he felt about her.  With her going away he just figured he would wait that he would just tell her when she came back.
     The thing is Melody didn’t come back.  She ended up staying in San Diego for eight years once she met a guy and moved in with him.  Until her mother passed away from pneumonia.  That is when her douche bag ex says he’s breaking up with her and oh yeah by the way I’m in love with someone else and we are getting married.  This is the same guy who had told her for eight years that he didn’t believe in marriage.
     So she ends up back home working three jobs, to help pay off her mom’s medical bills, her sister’s loans, and a place for her sister to live until she is on her feet as a nurse.  You see her sister just graduated from the nursing program and got a new job.  But until she is up and running and gets her first check Melody feels she needs to help out like her mom would have done.  One of the jobs she is working is on helping Clark selling meat at farmer’s market.  The thing that is a little unsettling is that there is some mild flirting going on with Clark which is a whole lot of weird. 

     I totally enjoyed this book.  The chemistry between these two characters is hot and off the charts.  The way they banter and the sexual frustration, growl!  But the love scenes were tasteful and just that love scenes.  I give this 5 stars.  Provided by netgalley.com.  Follow us at: www.1rad-readerreviews.com.

Guess Who's Coming on Friday? Stina Lindenblatt Author of: This One Moment (Pushing Limits) Excerpt & Trailer

Guess Who’s
 Coming on Friday?
At 7pm PST.
Stina
Lindenblatt

Author of:

Fame, fortune, and stadiums full of screaming fans are right around the corner for the rock band at the heart of Stina Lindenblatt’s steamy, intense Pushing Limits series. But it’s an epic love affair that steals the show in this opening act.

When Nolan Kincaid skipped town to chase the music career of his dreams, he knew he wouldn’t miss the reminders of his broken family—he wasn’t so sure he could forget the girl he left behind. Now his band is touring nonstop, the recording sessions go all night, and the groupies are crazed. But when he hears that Hailey Wilkins is in trouble, he drops everything.

Hailey thought she’d missed her chance with Nolan. Five years ago, the moment she realized she loved him was the moment he decided to leave. Now, when a brutal assault lands her in the ICU, Nolan flies straight to her bedside, acting like nothing’s changed. What’s a rock star like him doing, canceling shows and risking his record deal, just to nurse an old friend back to health? And why should Hailey believe he’ll stay this time?

With her attacker still at large, Nolan’s ready to rise to the occasion. He knows he let Hailey down once before, but he’s ready to give her everything, heart and soul—and he’ll fight for the chance to prove it.

Hailey

Nolan leaned over my legs and returned his guitar to the bed. But for some reason, as if drawn to him like a magnet, I shifted forward as he straightened. His hand accidentally brushed against the side of my breast and I froze.
I might have frozen, but my blood didn’t. It heated to two hundred degrees as my heart hammered hard in my chest.
His hand remained in place even when I turned to face him. Almost as if his thumb had a mind of its own, it brushed against my nipple. I sucked in a hard breath but still didn’t move, silently willing him to keep touching me this way.
Neither of us said anything. I was afraid to break the silence and have him realize what he was doing—to me—and how I was reacting.
My gaze returned to his lips, and once again I wondered what it would feel like if his mouth melded with mine, if his tongue explored mine.
And then I discovered exactly what it felt like to have his lips caress mine.
This One Moment: Trailer

A FATHER FOR DAISY (A Barnesville Novel)

A FATHER FOR DAISY                 JENNIFER WENN

Thirteen years ago, at her senior prom, Gillian Crane did the unthinkable – she became drunk for the first time and lost her virginity to an unknown man. Later, when she found out she was pregnant, her unloving, unyielding mother threw her out and told her never to return.

Gillian succeeds in building a new life for herself in New York City, vowing never to see her childhood home again. But when she learns her mother is dying, she drags her twelve-year-old daughter back to hell on earth, also known as Barnesville. Once again caught in small town life amongst old friends and enemies, her past comes back to haunt her, turning her world upside down as the question still remains. Who is the father of her child?
 
MY REVIEW:

     High School is always a difficult time in all teenagers lives.  I don’t care if you come from the finest of families or the wrong side of the tracks.  You have so many hormones taking over your body at once of course no one’s love life or lack of one is more important than yours.
     Which was exactly true for Gillian Crane a senior in high school and madly in love with Luke Walker.  Of course Luke was not a boy that was approved of by what Gilly called the “Barnesville Hyenas.”  The Ladies of the Church who like to belittle you.  So when she was asked to the senior prom by her best friend ever Andrew Marshall she thought perfect.
     You see she used countless hours with Andrew telling her woes him and his mother Alma.  You see Rachel her mother was not a loving mother at all.  Very bitter really.  Along with the complaining the talked about how in love she was with Luke.  The thing was the whole time Andy had a secret crush on her.  So once they got to the prom they parted because she was all caught up in professing her love to Luke and that made Andy mad.  Not knowing any better Gilly drank the punch and it was spiked so she got really smashed. 
     All she remembers is the next morning is waking up really sore knowing she had lost her virginity.  Yet, she didn’t feel violated.  She assumed it was Luke.  She is sent away because she finds out a few weeks later that she is indeed pregnant.  And that she is unmarried so that is a reflection on her mother and she can’t have that now can she?  So her mother gives her all the money she has on hand in the house and puts her on a bus and sends her away telling her never to come back.
     Fast forward thirteen years.  The same extremely cruel mother that sent her away at eighteen pregnant and alone was dying from heart failure.  Which I would have thought was hard to do when you didn’t have one but anyway.  She packed up her beautiful daughter and left for the home she swore she would never go back to again.  The nurse had called and said she had wanted her daughter there when she got there she said she didn’t say such a thing.  She says mean and awful things to her all over again.  It turns out her doctor is none other than Andrew Marshall.
     The catch up and he has her go to lunch with him to see the gang letting her know that Luke is back in town now too.  She doesn’t want to go but he talks her into it in an almost morbid way of hurting himself.  When sparks start to fly so does the action in the story. 

     I totally enjoyed the story as well as the characters.  They are well developed and full of life and a lot of humor.  I love family drama and this didn’t disappoint at all.  Her mother was a real winner and yet you can’t help in a way feel sad for her that she allowed the ways of others to dictate her lost time and the love of her one and only daughter.  I give this 5++++ stars.  Provided by netgalley.com.  Follow us at: 
www.1rad-readerreviews.com.

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