RED PLATOON: A True Story of American Valor

RED PLATOON                                                        CLINTON ROMESHA

"'It doesn't get better.' To us, that phrase nailed one of the essential truths, maybe even the essential truth, about being stuck at an outpost whose strategic and tactical vulnerabilities were so glaringly obvious to every soldier who had ever set foot in that place that the name itself -- Keating -- had become a kind of backhanded joke."
 
In 2009, Clinton Romesha of Red Platoon and the rest of the Black Knight Troop were preparing to shut down Command Outpost Keating, the most remote and inaccessible in a string of bases built by the U.S. military in Nuristan and Kunar in the hope of preventing Taliban insurgents from moving freely back and forth between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Three years after its construction, the army was finally ready to concede what the men on the ground had known immediately: it was simply too isolated and too dangerous to defend. 
 
On October 3, 2009, after years of constant smaller attacks, the Taliban finally decided to throw everything they had at Keating. The ensuing 14-hour battle-- and eventual victory-- cost 8 men their lives. 
 
Red Platoon is the riveting first-hand account of the Battle of Keating, told by Romesha, who spearheaded both the defense of the outpost and the counter-attack that drove the Taliban back beyond the wire, and received the Medal of Honor for his actions. 

HUBBY'S REVIEW:
The first time I heard about this battle and outpost Keating was from a book titled “The Outpost” by Jake Tapper. In that book he did go into the battle but mostly you got the history of the outpost, and the surrounding outposts plus the fallout afterwards by the higher ups. This book is by Clinton Romesha who was awarded the Medal of Honor after this battle. This is not about any Special Forces members but about young men from high school and a few from college that were part of the 4th Infantry Division 61st Cavalry Regiment. He explains the weapons they had for protection and he goes into the back of the soldiers he was with. He also explains what they were up against in the Taliban and how they planned their daily attacks, but this day it was different at odds of nearly 6 to 1 in favor of the Taliban you get firsthand account of how the battle was planned out. How regardless of how hopeless it sounded at times these young men continued to fight and still during this 13- 14 hour battle men were going out in harm’s way to get the wounded and bring them to the make shift medical unit. You get a firsthand account of all of the action and you feel like you are right there. You feel is pain when friends are killed 8 would die that day, but they went out and got the soldiers this being important for them to not let the Taliban get a hold of a body. You will not get any political views or anything else other than just about the group of men for that is what they are that were supposed to dismantle the camp, but when all was said and done it took a couple of 500 lbs. bombs to do the job. Overall words cannot describe what this book is about, it is a fantastic story. I got this book from netgalley. I gave it 5 stars. 
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A SONG OF SHADOWS (Charlie Parker #13)

A SONG OF SHADOWS                                           JOHN CONNOLLY

Still recovering from his life-threatening wounds, private detective Charlie Parker investigates a case that has its origins in a Nazi concentration camp during the Second World War.

Parker has retreated to the small Maine town of Boreas to regain his strength. There he befriends a widow named Ruth Winter and her young daughter, Amanda. But Ruth has her secrets. Old atrocities are about to be unearthed, and old sinners will kill to hide their sins. Now Parker is about to risk his life to defend a woman he barely knows, one who fears him almost as much as she fears those who are coming for her.

His enemies believe him to be vulnerable. Fearful. Solitary.

But they are wrong. Parker is far from afraid, and far from alone.

For something is emerging from the shadows . . .

HUBBY'S REVIEW:
I have to say this was one of the better books in the series. Charlie is recovering from the last book and Sam his daughter is staying with him for a little while. Sam can also communicate with Charlie’s first daughter who has passed away. This just adds to the story. This story is focused on the WWII at the end of the war and the Germans who were in charge of the death camps and the Nazi war criminals that got away. It also goes into the searching for the people that they have not found yet. Once again Charlie ends up in the middle but it is because of him that some of the crimes are even looked at. This is a very through story with some twists and turns that will surprise you the reader. Charlie sidekicks are still around and make their presence felt once again along with Sam’s mother. Overall a very good book. I got this book from netgalley. I gave it 5 stars. Follow us atwww.1rad-readerreviews.com

THE WOLF IN WINTER (Charlie Parker #12)

THE WOLF IN WINTER                                        JOHN CONNOLLY

The next pulse-pounding thriller in John Connolly's internationally bestselling Charlie Parker series.

The community of Prosperous, Maine has always thrived when others have suffered. Its inhabitants are wealthy, its children’s future secure. It shuns outsiders. It guards its own. And at the heart of Prosperous lie the ruins of an ancient church, transported stone by stone from England centuries earlier by the founders of the town…

But the death of a homeless man and the disappearance of his daughter draw the haunted, lethal private investigator Charlie Parker to Prosperous. Parker is a dangerous man, driven by compassion, by rage, and by the desire for vengeance. In him the town and its protectors sense a threat graver than any they have faced in their long history, and in the comfortable, sheltered inhabitants of a small Maine town, Parker will encounter his most vicious opponents yet.

Charlie Parker has been marked to die so that Prosperous may survive.

Prosperous, and the secret that it hides beneath its ruins…

HUBBY'S REVIEW:
I am getting to this book late along with the review. I always want to read the next Charlie Parker book but there is a part of me that does not. Though the stories can and do have a dark side to them. I found this book to be a fast paced read and though it had a dark and sinister feel the story line stayed with this one book. It begins with a homeless man looking for his daughter, and you do find out why he is homeless and what is going on with his daughter. He ends up in a town in Maine but is sent away twice and after the second time told not to come back. The man keeps searching and reaches out to Charlie. By the time Charlie gets the message and looks for him he finds that he is dead. Now after asking around he is not going to let it go and is going to look for his daughter. This leads him back to the same town, and the leaders of this town want him gone. He is asking too many questions. The leaders of this town want him taken out but the sheriff is telling them to let him go. When you get to the end of this fast paced story you will find out you was right. An excellent book. I got this book from netgalley. I gave it 5 stars. Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com

HIS TO PROTECT (Fireside #2)

HIS TO PROTECT                                                     STACEY LYNN

Declan James lost his last ounce of trust the day his wife walked out the door, leaving him to save the restaurant they built together. Throwing himself into his work, Declan swears off women—or at least, women who expect him to stick around in the morning. But when he discovers a skittish beauty scrounging through the Fireside’s trash to feed her dog, Declan offers her a job and a place to rest her head. There’s just something about her that awakens his protective side. And soon, not even that mangy mutt can stop Declan from caring for her.
 
After one too many trips to the ER, Trina Wilson finally gathered the courage to leave her husband, taking only her car and hyperactive boxer. Unfortunately, life on the run proves harder than she anticipated—until Declan takes a leap of faith on her. But even as Trina starts to see beyond his gruff exterior, she can’t relax, even for a moment. Not with her husband still tracking her down. What Trina doesn’t know is that in Declan, she has a powerful ally—and, if she would only follow her heart, a devoted lover.
 
Includes a special message from the editor, as well as an excerpt from another Loveswept title.

HUBBY'S REVIEW:
Declan owns the fireside bar and grill and as he is getting ready to leave he catches someone going through the dumpsters in the back. When he sees Trina for the first time he does not think of her as a homeless person, and when she finally comes inside to eat something he realizes that she has left a bad situation. Trina getting tired of going to the hospital finally left her husband and has vowed to herself she is not going back. At first she was frightened by Declan, because of his size but now she knows that he won’t hurt her. When you get farther along into the story you realize that Declan is getting over his wife leaving, and why Trina does not want to go back and why she is keeping a low profile. Declan has given her a job and a place to stay and she is beginning to like the people in the bar, she is also beginning to like Declan and he, her but neither one wants to act on it. This is a good book and the last half it is really exiting. I got this book from netgalley. I gave it 4 stars. Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com

ICING (Aces Hockey #2)

ICING                                                                         KELLY JAMIESON

Duncan Armstrong may be an NHL star, but he’s a country boy at heart. His ultimate fantasy is going home with the Stanley Cup, not a gold-digging airhead who aspires to be a trophy wife and nothing more. Newly single and hoping to enjoy a night out with his teammates, he ends up hitting it off with a down-to-earth waitress who’s a complete breath of fresh air—until Duncan learns that she’s a part-time model. He tries to forget about her, but their sizzling chemistry has him coming back for more.

Amber is working hard to put herself through school, and has zero interest in dating a professional athlete. She’s seen firsthand how fame and fortune can mess with their heads—her father’s brilliant football career ended in a firestorm of addiction and infidelity. So Duncan’s attentions immediately have her on the defensive. Still, there’s something different about him. And once she stops trying to freeze him out, irresistible temptation turns into all-consuming passion.

HUBBY'S REVIEW:
Duncan and Amber meet at a bar where she is a waitress, and there is an almost immediate attraction but when Amber finds out the Duncan is a professional hockey player she does everything in her power to ovoid him. Duncan thinks Amber is the breath of fresh air he needs, for he is tired of models and gold diggers. What he can’t figure out is why Amber is so against them when he thinks they are a perfect match. What he does not know is that she is the daughter of an ex big time pro football quarterback who cheating, doing drugs, and who knows what else because he ended up in prison. Not wanting that for Duncan she also thinks most pro athletes live that type of life style and it is up to Duncan to change her mind if they are going to have a shot. A good story with some powerful characters, a very good book. I got this book from netgalley. I gave it 4 stars. Follow us atwww.1rad-readerreviews.com

HOW TO PRUNE TREES & SHRUBS

HOW TO PRUNE TREES & SHRUBS                   BARBARA ELLIS

Help your trees, shrubs, and vines look and yield their best by making the right cut every time. Whether you are hoping for more flowers or fruit, trying to create a dense screen, or struggling to manage out-of-control growth, there is a pruning technique to achieve your goals. Expert gardener Barbara Ellis explains how a plant responds to pruning, how and when to use basic cuts, and what tools to use. Her plant-by-plant guide will give you the confidence you need to make that first cut.

HUBBY'S REVIEW:
This is a good book about how to prune plants around your yard. The author starts off with the types of tools you will need. Then moves into the cuts, and angles of cuts which helps for a stronger and healthier planter when new growth starts. Especially for plants like roses which will bigger if done correctly. She also goes over fruit trees which helps for new fruit in the following year, and she also suggests when you should hire someone for a job. There are pictures or diagrams to show the different types of cuts and where you should cut. Some things I knew already but some I did not. I found this to be very helpful. I got this book from netgalley. I gave it 5 stars. Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com

LOVEGAME

LOVEGAME                                                              TRACY WOLFF

True Crime novelist Ian Sharpe has spent his career writing about serial killers for very personal reasons. For his latest exposé, he is taking on the sadistic madman known as the Red Ribbon Strangler, and when his research leads him to Hollywood’s most private and provocative actress, he will break every rule to uncover her truth.
 
The daughter of one of Hollywood’s golden couples, chased by paparazzi and treated as a commodity her entire life, Veronica Romero wields her sex appeal like a weapon. She expects Ian to be as easy to control as every other man she’s ever known. But from the beginning, he refuses to fall into line. Mysterious and cool, challenging and just a little bit dangerous, Ian somehow makes her feel safe—even as he digs into the deepest secrets of her life and pushes her to the breaking point.
 
As raw ecstasy gives way to agonized truths, their dark obsession exposes secrets that have been buried for far too long. Ian wants to tear down her walls and heal the sensual woman underneath. But if Veronica’s learned anything, it’s that the line between pleasure and pain is a narrow one—and when caught between them the only thing that matters is how you play the game.

Lovegame 
is intended for mature audiences. This ebook includes a special message from the editor, as well as an excerpt from another Loveswept title.


HUBBY'S REVIEW:
Veronica is the daughter of a well-known movie director and a mother who was an actress. She has a stunning beauty and she uses it as a sword and as a shield. She is hiding the little girl that was a victim and now as an adult she uses sex as a way to avoid talking about anything serious. Ian Sharpe is a former FBI profiler and is also a writer. He is now writing an article for the New Yorker and Veronica said she would only do the interview with him. Their first meeting at an open air café he realizes just how many paparazzi follow her. He also discovers that at the end of the meal she answered 0 questions and every time she touched his hand or wrist he got distracted and realized afterwards what she had done. Showing up the next day unannounced at her photo shoot he has caught her off guard, and after the shot he is trying to figure out why her and her mom have kept this home. She gives him a tour which is very telling, and then in her mind to throw him off because every man wants her she throws herself at him and as the scene unfolds he realizes that her eyes are closed. When he asked her to look at him while they are sex she can’t. They stop and as she walks away to take a shower he is amazed by her beauty, but now knows he wants to find the real Veronica. Before he leaves a few clues are revealed, but not by her intentionally. She now knows that he is a different type of man and not the ones that want to bed the character that has made her famous. As I was reading this I keep hearing Rita Hayworth’s words, “they go to bed with Gilda but wake up to me”. That is what I felt Veronica was. I know some people won’t know who Rita Hayworth is but if you look her up you will understand. This book is so powerful that you don’t want to put it down. The charters grab you from the beginning and as the story goes along you still don’t know how it is going to turn out. A very good suspenseful book with a lot of adult scenes but these add to the story. There is also a nice epilogue. A fantastic book. I got this book from netgalley. I gave it 5 stars. Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com

HOT ON HIS HEELS (What Happens in Vegas #16)

HOT ON HIS HEELS                                              MARGO BOND COLLINS

He’s exactly who she’s looking for…she just doesn’t know it yet.

Sadie Quinn is at the romance readers’ convention for one reason only: to find editor Jocelyn Dellarivier. Which she could do if she didn’t keep running into the most frustrating, gorgeous man ever. To make matters worse, she just won a contest and a date with him is the prize.

Jake Blaine could kill his boss for rigging the contest, but now he’s face to face with the one woman who could expose his alter ego. He’s not about to leave, but he can’t tell Sadie he’s the editor she’s looking for. But even though he’s playing with fire, Jake can’t seem to stay away. And after a night with the raven-haired beauty, he’s not sure he wants to…

HUBBY'S REVIEW:

Sadie Quinn is an English professor who has written a book on romance novels and for the last year she has been trying to get an interview with the top editor for her last chapter. Now she has made her way to Las Vegas for the big romance novel convention to find Jocelyn Dellarivier, but every time she feels like she is getting somewhere she runs into Jake Blaine. She finds him to be very attractive but not the person she is looking for. Jake finds himself tongue tied every time he crosses path with an attractive women who he finds out is there for the convention but also is an English professor and happens to be from the state his twin brother is running for office. When she asks him she finds out that they are twins. Still being placed together they end up going on a date and that is when each one must decide what to do as the conference is closing. There is more to this story but I don’t want to give it away, but it is a quick read. I just found this story to be caught off in certain places. I got this book from netgalley. I gave it 3 stars. Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com

COOKIE THERAPY

COOKIE THERAPY                                                KARLA BRANDENBURG

To escape notoriety from her role in the school shooting she barely survived, Elizabeth Lambert moves from Houston to Hoffman Grove, Illinois. Plagued by panic attacks and nightmares, she’s determined to embrace her second chance at life, knowing that death could take her in an instant. A one-night stand with a local handsome firefighter should remind her that she’s alive, but like a good cookie, once is not enough to satisfy her craving. Will he reject her when he learns about the blood on her hands?

Firefighter and paramedic Matt Billings fights his attraction to the alluring new bookshop manager. She dangles a one-night stand under his nose, but the last time he gave in to such an offer he ended up with a child. He is determined to be a better man than his philandering father. Can he convince Elizabeth that her past is not as terrifying as suddenly being a parent, and a relationship is worth more than just a checkbox on her bucket list?
 

MY REVIEW:
     Witnessing trauma is bad enough.  When you are involved in it and then made to feel you caused it well… Your whole world gets turned upside down and you become not sure what is real and not real.  So, you stuff it all down and become not well to talk about it.
     Yet, when you have been told your whole life you are a no one or at least given that impression then you believe and accept anything you are told.  When tragedy struck in Elizabeth Lambert’s life her mother thought it best that with all the press that she leaves Houston and go to her Aunt Brenda Mead’s.  She is a former high school teacher in Hoffman Grove.
     You see her aunt needs a manager at her bookstore for the one she has is leaving.  Since her aunt had retired she no longer wanted to work the store.  So she asked Elizabeth to come and manage it.  Which she was happy to do.  Elizabeth up until she started high school used to come for a month every summer until her uncle died.  It was the only time she truly felt loved.  Her mother had told her she makes her aunt sick so she could stay with her anymore in the summer time.
     Her travels from Texas to her aunts was a wild ride and ever since the event in her life cookies took on even more meaning.  They were real stress relievers.  Before arriving at the house she stopped at the grocery store to get some from the fresh bakery.  She got the ones in the clear plastic container.  When she went to open it she sliced her hand to where she cut it but good.  BLOOD!  A LOT!  SPOTS! A lot before her eyes and she was feeling light headed.
     Luckily two paramedics are walking in as she is going down.  The one that gets to her first is Matt Billings one of the most eligible and sexy bachelors in town.  He sees what’s going on and rushes to her side and guides her to the ground and put her head between her legs.  When Ted his partner cleans the blood they see she needs stitches, granting her a free ride in their chariot.
     While in the back with her Matt starts to notice her beauty and how attracted he is to her.  Something that has never happened while attending to a patient.  His body was even coming alive another first for him that he had hushed a little over 2 years ago after his affair that caused his break up with his fiancé, Audrey.  He was granted a baby with Shannon a woman from hell.  Although he never wanted children he loves his son Trey immensely.
     Now here was this woman Elizabeth who was way tempting.  But he knew there was a story of trauma somewhere because of the way she reacted to the blood.  PTSD either military or some other form of trauma or tragedy. After they dropped her at the hospital he sees her again at Mrs. Mead’s again that night.  There was a car accident and it was in front of her home.  Then you start to see the small town living kick in.  The hotlines and fix-ups.  They don’t gossip the share out of love.  They are the “Family of Friends” misfits from high school who came from difficult backgrounds who have always been there for one another no matter what.
     I really enjoyed this book.  There was so much to laugh about in this book and yet the author was able to bring the reader along through her trauma with her feeling her emotions without making it feel too overwhelming for the reader.  Then coming out the other side at each stage of healing.  The small town antics were hilarious.  The makeshift family I love which I have had several times throughout my lifetime and those friends you never forget.  One call and you're there ready and wait to know what they need if they called.  May need to juggle but just ask and I am there.  They are that way with us too.  Forever friend/family.  I love the way it was so true to life and really funny.  The whole story dynamics just worked.  I give this 5 ++++ stars.  Provided by netgalley.com.  Follow us at:

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WRONG BED REUNION (Most Likely To #2)

WRONG BED REUNION                                        CANDY SLOANE

Georgia Cahill is at her high school reunion to seduce the quarterback boyfriend she left behind ten years ago. Unfortunately, one too many margaritas accidentally land her in bed with Gideon Neill, the class geek, instead. By the time she realizes her mistake, she’s the one being seduced. 

Gideon Neill is a new man—confident, gorgeous, and about to make the biggest business deal of his life. He just needs a girlfriend to land it. Georgia provides the perfect solution—he’ll help her make her ex jealous if she’ll be on his arm for his business deal. But he quickly realizes he likes her in his arms even better!

Who’d have guessed that sleeping with the enemy would be so hot? But it isn’t long before their act becomes all too real. Could this truly be love? Or is it just the best sex they’ve ever had?

MY REVIEW:
  Class Reunions run the gamut of emotions for most people no matter what.  But you add that you were the one that was the most popular and most judgmental well…  Say like former head cheerleader Georgia Cahill.  Wow does that add pressure.
     Or if you are the former nerdy geek of the class that was always tortured by the football team and people like Georgia and her boyfriend the captain of the football team Brandon White.  Gideon Neill was made fun of, stuck into lockers, and many more things.  What hurt most was when showing kindness to Georgia on the day her mother died by holding her to comfort her and she turns on you, mid cry and then verbally starts torturing you and it continues the rest of your high school years. 
     Now ten years later Georgia’s feelings of in validness in her everyday life with the fear about attending her reunion.  Gideon knowing, he was no longer the nerdy geek, yet still wanting to appear bigger than life.  They both come bearing secrets and festering old wounds.  Not only that they are trying to put their best foot forward but on beds of lies.
     The night of meet and greet was not a big thing people were trickling in and since Georgia was sharing a room with Kim her on and only friend from high school.  She was with her.  Kim felt ill it turns out it wasn’t the drinks the girls were downing but the flu she was running a fever and hugging the toilet all weekend.  So when she laid down to sleep…
     Georgia had at least 5 drinks in her so she had talked the guy at the desk to give her Brandon’s room key.  Because you see for 10 years Kim’s convinced her that he is her Happily-ever-after that she missed by going to L.A. to try her hand at acting and that didn’t work.  So, while Kim slept she got out of her clothes just her bra and thong were on.  She put on the hotel robe and went to Brandon’s room.  It was dark and let’s just say they were both being pleasured beyond belief when Brandon said he didn’t get startled he wasn’t Scarlett O’Hara.  But that triggered something in Georgia as to where Brandon would have gotten that reference.  So she says, what?  He says, we were in senior English together and read Gone with the Wind.  She flies out of bed because she figures out that the man she is in bed with is not in fact Brandon but the G-E-E-K of the school GILLIGAN as they called him.  Gideon himself.
     The said thing about it he knew it was her and he thought she wanted the man he was now.  Pain—and all he gets from her is anger that he is not Brandon.
     See how these two work through this situation and how they can make this pent up sexual tension they feel for each other work for them.  Can past hurts be kept at bay even for a ramp in the hay?
     I enjoy this so much.  I think everyone can relate to it some way.  The emotions are raw and real.  The sex is hot, hard, and fast.  But it is a couple who are in the throes of a relationship yet not sure of past hurts amazingly real.  I give this 5++++ stars.  Provided by netgalley.com.  Follow us at:

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THE BOYFRIEND BET (Boyfriend Chronicles #2)

THE BOYFRIEND BET                                          CHRIS CANNON

Disclaimer: This Entangled Teen Crush book contains multiple PDAs, after-school detentions, and gambling on the side. Warning: betting on a boyfriend is bad for your health.

Zoe Cain knows that Grant Evertide is way out of her league. So naturally, she kisses him. Out of spite. Not only is Grant her brother’s number-one nemesis, but he has zero interest in being tied down to one girl. She’s shocked—and secretly thrilled—when they start spending more time together.

Zoe’s brother claims Grant is trying to make her his “Ringer,” an oh-so-charming tradition where a popular guy dates a non-popular girl until he hooks up with her, then dumps her. Zoe threatens to neuter Grant with hedge clippers if he's lying but Grant swears he isn’t trying to trick her. Still, that doesn’t mean Grant is the commitment type—even if winning a bet is on the line.
 

MY REVIEW:
 Strangely odd little story of teen romance yet so real.  I have a soon to be 16-year old and to listen to her and her friends talk this can be so true on any given day.  But guys can be just as bad in the drama department as the girl :)
     This story goes back and forth between the POV of Zoe Cain a new junior at Wilton Academy.  Her brother Jack, who had already been going there a year, now a senior.  You see they live in the country and rather than pay so much for the overpriced school, to look better on transcripts they go just the last two years of high school to the academy so it looks better for colleges. On this day she had orientation so she was waiting for him to pick her up and he was late.
     Two guys came to sit next to her one on each side.  When they each started rattling off names of girls one at a time then looking at her for acknowledgement.  When she shook her head no several time she pulled the paper from one of their hands just about the time her brother rolled out calling her name.  One ask are dating this loser and she says yuk he’s my brother.  When the other one says your name is Zoe Cain?  She puts out her hand and ask, and you are to the blonde haired, Aiden Eastman, one first and then the dark haired one, Grant Evertide.  When all of a sudden her brother says NO! You stay away from him! Pointing to Grant.  Don’t talk to him or hang out with him do you hear me?
     Zoe figures out why Jack hates Grant because he lost some competitions to him.  So to piss him off she ask if he has a girlfriend.  He says, no, just an ex.  She says then she wouldn’t mind if I kissed you he says?  No.  So she does.  Of course Jack is steaming.  She tells Grant thanks and leaves.  Neither of them can stop thinking about the kiss.  The problem is Grant doesn’t want a girlfriend at all since his last one was so controlling and wanting to talk marriage.  Not to mention she is a Hick!

     This was a decent book.  It is truly how a teens mind can work.  One-minute calm, the next out of control and then so mature it’s unbelievable.  I give this 4 stars.  Provided by netgalley.com.  Follow us at: www.1rad-readerreviews.com.




TURBULENT INTENTIONS (Billionaire Aviators #1)

TURBULENT INTENTIONS                                 MELODY ANNE

The Armstrong brothers are wealthy, wild-at-heart bad boys—until their father’s will demands they prove themselves and marry in order to inherit their fortune.
Eldest brother Cooper channels his reckless spirit into becoming CEO of his own airline. The only thing better than the adrenaline rush of flying is his one-night stand with a stunning stranger. At first he doesn’t recognize the fiery barista he clashes with years later at an airport coffee shop. But when Stormy Halifax turns up as his new house sitter, Cooper knows she’s his Cinderella. And he doesn’t just want her in his mansion. He wants her back in his bed.
Stormy can’t believe she’s living under Cooper’s roof. Gorgeous and arrogant, he’s convinced she’ll surrender again—and he’s right. But just as Stormy is succumbing to a world of pleasure, her trust is shattered. And the biggest challenge Cooper has ever faced will be proving he wants Stormy, now and forever, for all the right reasons.
Turbulent Intentions was originally published as Below the Radar - The Billionaire Aviators. This edition has been completely edited and revised, including significant plot changes.
MY REVIEW:
     I have always love Melody Anne’s series she has done of the meddling brothers the Andersons.  Who work together in order to find spouses for their children.  True love as the see and it was all their doing of course.
     This story runs along the same line except Joseph Anderson is in cahoots with Sherman Alexander the uncle to four striking but extremely over privileged young men.
     You see Sherman’s brother Bill unfortunately finds out he is dying of a very aggressive cancer.  Seeing in his sons, Cooper 24, Nick 23, Maverick 22, and Ace 21 a side that is not become and in fact reminded him of someone that gave him bad memories.  Not to mention that he allowed them to sluff off for to long and to not take charge of their lives and become more productive and active members in their communities.  Not something his was proud of as a parent especially when it came to his parenting skills.  For he had thought he still had time to mold them into mature responsible young men, who cared and could believe in and find the love of a good women to share their lives with like he and Sherman had.  But cancer got him and his time with them cut short.
     Yet, no time was left it call for desperate measures.  In his will they were told there would be an inheritance to be split four ways but they would have to meet certain conditions he put down.  Or it would be given to charity.  They were all pissed to no end.  They all left mad.  The worst of them all was Ace the youngest and the most spoiled.  He saw it as a slap in the face from his father.
     Six weeks after the death of his father Cooper was attending his friend’s wedding one of the Anderson boys.  When his eyes come upon a women trying to blend into the furnishing.  As he is talking he ask who she is but his friend doesn’t know.  While he is relaying the last six weeks of what had been going on he keeps finding himself check out this chick.  His friend is trying to tell him he could see where his dad is coming from now that he was a father.  Cooper says that’s all well and good.  But that there are no good women left on earth that want something from you, namely your money.  Then says he going to meet the women in the corner.
     That woman happened to be Stormy Halifax a young woman who was alone in the world as far as family was concerned.  Had made friends everywhere she went.  Her parents were missionaries.  So, she traveled the world with them giving service.  No matter how dog tired she was she would help someone if they needed help.  Like the neighbors in her apartment complex.
     Or like a friend who wants to crash a wedding so you buy a new dress, dye your hair and put on a lot of make-up.  Now her friend was MIA and she was tired of trying to fade into the shadows.  So, she gets up to leave when a man asks her to dance.  Then the dance leads to her first and last walk of shame.
The thing is they never exchanged names.  He wanted to…It felt like he liked her but she was afraid she would get too attached and then…
     Six years later Cooper owns an airline but doesn’t tell anyone especially women.  And he is also a captain who flies 747’s.   Stormy just happens to be working now at the coffee shop where he stops to get his coffee and he doesn’t remember her.  That really hurts her feelings.  Most of all it is his condescending attitude that gets to her.  He is acting like a prick the way he is flirting with her and nothing like the man she knew back then.
     I love the way Melody writes her male leads as not only as an alpha male in this one but as almost antagonist of life and how he should be entitled and why aren’t people feeling sorry for him.  Especially when it comes to women.  Early on you see that is not the total case.  You get glimpse of what their father and uncle were trying to accomplish.  This is an emotionally charged yet funny family saga which you all know I love.  I give this 5 stars.  Provided by netgalley.com.  Follow us at:

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UNTIL HARRY

UNTIL HARRY                                            L. A. CASEY

He was my best friend, my best not-really-big-brother, and my best protector.

He was my best everything.

He was mine.


Coming home is hard for Lane. Hard because Harry, her beloved uncle, has died suddenly, but also because of him. Kale.

Kale Hunt has been her best friend since childhood. But it was never that simple. He was Lane’s reason for leaving home and moving to New York. Seeing him with someone else, in love with someone else, shouldn’t have hurt. But it did. It really, really did. So she upped sticks and left, started a new life and cut herself off from her past.

But now she’s back, and all the feelings are right there. As if she had never left.

Emotions are running high for everyone, and tragedy has a funny way of bringing people together. But is Lane reading the signs right? Are they still just friends, or is there something more?

MY REVIEW:
     What a deeply over-whelming emotional book.  This author had made me smile, chuckle, tear up, and feel angry for Lane Edwards.  Yet, at other times you could only out and out laugh because she did whatever it was to herself.  Lane was the angel trouble was sure to follow.
     Now since she is the baby of the family her two twin brothers, Lochlan and Layton have been over protective which really is an understatement.  Locklan being the worst anytime a boy would ask her out he would do something to scare him off.  So that the next day at school he would meet up with her and give some excuse why they couldn’t go out.  As an added bonus their childhood brined who was three when Lane was born, Kale Hunt, who had thought that …even though she looked like a dried-up prune that she was just beautiful.
     He was her best friend.  Yes, he played with her brothers too but he was mainly her best friend until her teen years.  Lane she was his special friend.  No one could have her or hurt her and get away with it because Kale was there to right all wrongs.
But at ten years old for Lane things changed.  Kale had stolen her heart.  All it took was at their last official sleepover in her room her parents would let them have since Kale was not 13, really 10 in girl years. 
     Anyway, Lane’s clothes closet’s latch didn’t work and for some reason it creeped open after lights out.  Well, she knew the closet monsters were coming after her.  She was too scared to get down off her bed to get to the air mattress so she kept calling out to Kale.  Until he woke up.  When he did he was going to sleep in her bed holding her like a couple does but that gave her butterflies so she said no what if the monsters grab you first?
     So, Kale jumps out of bed goes to the closet grabs a bat and tells her now you got to sleep I’m going to stand guard so no monsters can get you.  At that moment her heart was a goner.  Only things just got more complicated and her life started to spin out of control.  You see as Kale gets older and starts dating he continues this on again off again girl Dawn which Lane had never like.  It was getting harder and harder to keep her feelings to herself.  Then one day…
     She makes a decision to move to U.S. to get away from the pain caused from seeing Kale in love and starting a family with Dawn.  Against her family’s wishes and support she leaves.  The only one she keeps in contact for 6 years is her uncle Harry.  They talk on an almost a daily basis as well as email.  Harry is her uncle, godfather, but most of all her friend.  He gave her back her sanity although it cost her the family she loved and the man she loved.
     Harry gave her unconditional love.  Something she couldn’t seem to find from anyone else.  But when tragedy strikes and she is forced to go home to face her demons and her family she finds out she’s stronger than she thought, braver, and a better person too.  No matter what she would make it.  Everything up to then was just a dress rehearsal to wet her feet so she knew the good things when she saw them.
     I so enjoyed this book.  Really hated to put it down that night I started reading it.  This author has a gift for storytelling that makes you take notice.  Your emotions will run the gamut so you need to heed the quick turns.  I give this 5++++ stars.  Provided by netgalley.com. 
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BODY CONTACT (Hands On #2)

BODY CONTACT                                                      CATHRYN FOX

Body Contact is the second of a three-part erotic series from New York Times and USA best-selling author Cathryn Fox.

Asking pro football player Jack Rider to teach me everything he knows about sex might have seemed like a good idea at the time, but now I’m not so sure I can handle a guy like him. I thought he’d just straight up do me, ridding me of my pesky virginity sooner rather than later. But no, he had his own ideas about bringing me up to speed on sex. His two weeks of slow seduction might just be the death of me, but since he’s the one in charge, I have to play the game his way. Not that I’m not enjoying it. I am. Who wouldn’t, right? I guess I just can’t help but wonder how I’ll ever let another man touch me after him.

This is the second of a three-part series full of mind-blowing sex, featuring a dirty-mouthed football player who knows the score and an inexperienced therapist who needs to learn it. BODY CONTACT is sure to leave readers begging for more. The next installment comes September 2016.

MY REVIEW:
     Okay, let me just say this is a couple you get hooked into and fully invested in right off the bat.  Yes, it is an erotica but it really becomes a back story to the love affair you hope is evolving between these two people.
     You have Danielle Lang a young attractive woman who has graduated and who will be teaching at the local college about sex therapy.  Yet, she is a virgin so she feels like she will have nothing real life experience to offer.  So her friend Violet talks her into asking Jack into helping her with that situation.  Only Jack has his own idea on how to conduct class so to speak.
     You see Danielle thought a one-night stand would do the trick but Jack Rider the pro football player took his job of prep seriously.  That if you were going to do a job you do it right.  So, he told Danielle she needed to agree to two weeks of slow seduction and she needed to do exactly what he said.
     The book opens with their first night going to a BDSM club called The Grayson.  Jacks two brothers and best friend are all into the scene he has a membership because they hang out there but he knows it is not his scene.  Jack is the perfect person to go with and the best teacher because he explains everything they see and what is going on.  (Side note:  The author’s insight for the reader is amazing especially if you have never read a book about BDSM and are curious, this is the book for you.  She has the characters not only going but telling what they are experiencing and feeling.  Not active out anything but with only being there.  Bravo!)  At this point the two characters’ experience blurred lines.
     See how the author works her way through what is going on with emotions for a girl who has never had a family to be around.  And a man so connected to his.  As well as how as this man is dealing with a possible life altering career injury and how he may have to deal with that.
     I enjoyed the intimacy of this couple even though they try to keep it so clinical.  I totally loved Jack’s family and their joking and bantering.  Cathryn’s handling of her experience of her sexual encounter at the BDSM club was wonderful as well as her times with Jack.  I didn’t care for the fact that this is basically a full book broken up into several books.  Basically shorts.

     Not a fan so for that I give this 4 stars.  Provided by netgally.com.  Follow us at: www.1rad-readerreviews.com

IF I LOVED YOU (Harper Falls #1)

IF I LOVED YOU                                                     MARY J. WILLIAMS

Welcome to Harper Falls, Washington. A place where everything you ever dreamed of can be yours. Especially love.

If all you wanted was one night would you take a chance on a man who wanted forever?
Rose O'Brian wants to spice up her love life, and she knows that Jack Winston is just the man to help her. Unfortunately, Jack has a secret that is keeping his from the one thing he wants more than his next breath--Rose.

Rose has never believed in a happily ever after ending for herself; emotional scars run too deep. She tells Jack it's one night or nothing, but what she can't admit to him or herself is that he is the first man that has ever had her dreaming of more. When a demon from her past rears its ugly head will Rose have the strength to reach for what she wants? Can Jack convince her they have a future worth fighting for?

Book one in the Harper Falls series.

MY REVIEW:
     Rose O’Brian had so much to be grateful for yet it had been a long road in getting there and two years in therapy to get this far.  Yet, that’s not what helped it was her two best friends Tyler Jones and Jordanna (Dani) Wilde who helped her make it through.
     You see Rose was being raised by her single mother because her father took off before she was even born.  Her mother was always sad so little Rose always made up little songs and sang them to her.  It was always just the two of them.  At the age of 9 her mom passed away and all of a sudden the state finds a long lost relative her Aunt Louise.  Except don’t you dare call her that or you get slapped which only happened once to Rose. 
     Her aunt would go from one rich husband to another until the money ran out.  So when she and one of the husbands wanted to ship her off to Harper Falls Academy she was all for it to get away from her aunt.  But she could show how happy she was or her aunt would not let her go because she would know she wanted it to much.  The reason she wanted it most is the music program. 
     Her aunt ends up being a not so nice woman that she can’t seem to exercise from her life. She’s lucky some 10 years later she only calls in between husbands to a landline that Rose had installed in the house with an answering machine in the spare bedroom.  Out of sight out of mind.  Part of the subplot is her best friends have lost love interest that didn’t work out but Tyler’s is back in town and she has to see him on a daily basis.  He brought a friend Jack Winston with him.  The have a thriving security business.  They met in College and have been fast friends ever since both computer geeks.  Although Jack was an athlete.
     Not only bodyguards to the stars but programing high tech software that racks in the millions.  Drew Harper may be the hometown boy but it is Jack that does all the private and public appearances in town due to Drew’s love hate relationship with his mother.  They haven’t spoken in ten years.  There’s a story there…
     At a charity event at the Harper Estate that of course was being attended by those with the deepest of pockets.  Those that could afford to buy a ticket alone were doing well.  Since Drew would never set foot in his mother’s home Jack was representing H & W Security.  What irritated Mrs. Harper is the fact the woman that she feels cased the riff between her and her son, Tyler Jones, is now a well-known artist and can attend.
She along with Dani Wilde who is a well-known War Photojournalist and Rose a famous Song Writer were all more than able to attend.
     On this night though Rose was there to look for a one night stand as Tyler had suggested.  She knew Tyler was being flip when she said it but with her views on love and marriage and not time for dating lately.  Not to mention the choices available.  She decided to take matters into her own hands.  Scoping out the room B-I-N-G-O!!! Jack Winston is it!
     See how she handles the approach and he handles her pickup line.  Will he say yes?  But first will she have the nerve to even ask?
     I enjoyed this book.  I loved seeing the transition you see Rose go through.  She is like a true flower who goes through its blooming stage.  You get to see her open up to Jack as her (He’s her sunlight) and yet when someone from her past reappears it’s like she closes up like a flower closing for the evening.
     I give this 4 stars.  Provided by netgalley.com.  Follow us at:

www.1rad-readerreviews.com.

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