The Shores of Tripoli (Bliven Putnam Naval Adventure #1)

THE SHORES OF TRIPOLI                    JAMES L. HALEY

It is 1801 and President Thomas Jefferson has assembled a deep-water navy to fight the growing threat of piracy, as American civilians are regularly kidnapped by Islamist brigands and held for ransom, enslaved, or killed, all at their captors’ whim. The Berber States of North Africa, especially Tripoli, claimed their faith gave them the right to pillage anyone who did not submit to their religion.

Young Bliven Putnam, the great-nephew of Revolutionary War hero Israel Putnam, is bound for the Mediterranean and a desperate battle with the pirate ship Tripoli. He later returns under legendary Commodore Edward Preble on the Constitution, and marches across the Libyan desert with General Eaton to assault Derna—discovering the lessons he learns about war, and life, are not what he expected.

Rich with historical detail and cracking with high-wire action, The Shores of Tripoli brings this amazing period in American history to life with brilliant clarity. 

PAT'S REVIEW

This is a historical fiction book about the time when President Jefferson sent the Marines to Tripoli with the Navy to send a message to the pirates of that area that the U.S.A. will not bow down to their demands and their consent taking of ships. I found this to be a very fast read. Though this was a very good book and the characters were all well developed. One must also remember that this was the first that the Stars and Stripes flew on foreign sole, hence the Marine Corps hymn “from the shores of Tripoli”. Also that this little war was from 1801 to 1805. This book is good at giving a look at a forgotten piece of history and I enjoyed reading as an adult but would have loved it back when I was reading pirate stories. A good read. I received this book from Netgalley.com I gave it 4 stars. Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com

The Never Game (Colter Shaw #1)

THE NEVER GAME                                 JEFFERY DEAVER

A young woman has gone missing in Silicon Valley and her father has hired Colter Shaw to find her. The son of a survivalist family, Shaw is an expert tracker. Now he makes a living as a "reward seeker," traveling the country to help police solve crimes and private citizens locate missing persons. But what seems a simple investigation quickly thrusts him into the dark heart of America's tech hub and the cutthroat billion-dollar video-gaming industry. 

"Escape if you can."

When another victim is kidnapped, the clues point to one video game with a troubled past--The Whispering Man. In that game, the player has to survive after being abandoned in an inhospitable setting with five random objects. Is a madman bringing the game to life?

"Or die with dignity."

Shaw finds himself caught in a cat-and-mouse game, risking his own life to save the victims even as he pursues the kidnapper across both Silicon Valley and the dark 'net. Encountering eccentric game designers, trigger-happy gamers and ruthless tech titans, he soon learns that he isn't the only one on the hunt: someone is on his trail and closing fast.

PAT'S REVIEW

You follow Colton Shaw as he is hired by parents to find there missing children. It is really not that simple but that is what he does. Raised as a survivalist, tracker, he was homeschooled and not raised around a TV, or phones. He does find his way around in life but still needs help along the way for more in-depth computer searches. When one investigation ends at the beginning of the book he is led to his next one and it is strange that they are close to one another. He also finds out that part of what is happening is similar to a computer game and looks for help in finding out about the game. I found this book to be full of surprises from page to page and not really knowing you the person was. The characters were all good and I really liked the lead character Shaw, so overall a very good book and very much worth the read. I don’t want to go into the story too much for I am afraid of revealing something about the story that will ruin it for the reader. Just know that this book will keep you going. I received this book from Netgalley.com I gave it 5 stars. Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com

Blasted By Adversity: The Making of a Wounded Warrior

BLASTED BY ADVERSITY                     LUKE MURPHY

Blasted by Adversity: the Making of a Wounded Warrior documents the incredible ascendance of an Army infantryman who survived an IED blast, amputating his right leg and severing his left, and emerged as a key public advocate for wounded veterans. Luke Murphy's injury was the beginning of a remarkable journey that took him from hopelessness in a hospital room to skiing black diamonds in Aspen, catching tuna on Jimmy Buffet’s boat and speaking to thousands at the Pentagon. The book gives voice to a new generation of wounded service members.

PAT'S REVIEW

An inspiring story of a young man Luke Murphy who people first laughed at when he enlisted and then respected when he had the balls to walk in to speak to the Sargent Major of the Rakkasans and request to be part of their unit. That right there had me hooked. Following him from there along with his training and his deployments. He also takes you through his personal life as well, like the break up with his longtime girlfriend he thought he would marry. He then leads you to the day when he actually survives an IED blast and the long road back from Losing his right leg and left. He takes you through his struggles but also through his triumphs and how high ranking officers of his unit would come through to see how he was doing and others from the 101st. afterward, the journey begins to him going back to school and then eventually becoming a speaker. He would marry and you get to meet some of the people he has gotten to meet along the way. A very good book. I received this book from Netgalley.com I gave it 5 stars. Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com

Beyond The Pasta: Recipes, Language and Life with an Italian Family

BEYOND THE PASTA                              MARK LESLIE

Several years ago, on a break between theatrical gigs in Alabama, Mark traveled to Italy and fell in love with the people, food and culture. Armed with just enough courage, minimal Italian language skills, and a certain proficiency in the kitchen, he enrolled in a full-immersion cooking and language program. He would travel to Viterbo, Italy and live with an Italian family. His teachers were beyond his wildest dreams-he learned to cook from the grandmother, or Nonna, of the family, who prepared every meal in a bustling, busy household, as women in her family have done for generations. Her daughter, Alessandra, taught him the language with patience and precision. Besides culinary secrets and prepositions, they opened their lives to him, and made him a real part of their extensive family. Though the book contains authentic, delicious family recipes Nonna shared with Mark, Beyond the Pasta delves into food memoir subject matter not found in a typical cookbook. It was the day-to-day shopping with Nonna, exploring the countryside and le gelaterie, where he truly developed his language skills and a new, more joyful and uniquely Italian way of looking at the world. 

PAT'S REVIEW

This was a good cookbook with good stories to go along with the recipes. The author taking a trip to Italy and learning to cook from an Italian family mostly from the grandmother or Nonna. The area in which he was learning was a little different from where my family was from, so some of the recipes were different. Yet some of the ingredients were the same. I found that to be interesting. This book also took me back to my father teaching me to cook from his grandmother’s recipes. He was the eldest son in our family it didn’t matter boy or girl the eldest was expected to help in the kitchen and he did. His love of stories and food was passed down to me and that was what this book brought back to me. The smells of the kitchen when cooking certain Italian foods is like no other, with a glass of wine while cooking and then sharing with family or friends or both is what cooking is all about. I got that from this book. The recipes were all easy to follow and overall this was a very good book. I received this book from Netgalley.com I gave it 5 stars. Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com

Heirs of the Founders: The Epic Rivalry of Henry Clay, John Calhoun and Daniel Webster, the Second Generation of American Giants

HEIRS OF THE FOUNDERS                  H. W. BRANDS

In the early 1800s, three young men strode onto the national stage, elected to Congress at a moment when the Founding Fathers were beginning to retire to their farms. Daniel Webster of Massachusetts, a champion orator known for his eloquence, spoke for the North and its business class. Henry Clay of Kentucky, as dashing as he was ambitious, embodied the hopes of the rising West. South Carolina's John Calhoun, with piercing eyes and an even more piercing intellect, defended the South and slavery.
Together these heirs of Washington, Jefferson and Adams took the country to war, battled one another for the presidency and set themselves the task of finishing the work the Founders had left undone. Their rise was marked by dramatic duels, fierce debates, scandal and political betrayal. Yet each in his own way sought to remedy the two glaring flaws in the Constitution: its refusal to specify where authority ultimately rested, with the states or the nation, and its unwillingness to address the essential incompatibility of republicanism and slavery.
They wrestled with these issues for four decades, arguing bitterly and hammering out political compromises that held the Union together, but only just. Then, in 1850, when California moved to join the Union as a free state, "the immortal trio" had one last chance to save the country from the real risk of civil war. But, by that point, they had never been further apart.
Thrillingly and authoritatively, H. W. Brands narrates an epic American rivalry and the little-known drama of the dangerous early years of our democracy. 

PAT'S REVIEW

I felt like this book was telling us, what our history was like in the forgotten time from 1800 to the beginning of the Civil War. Men that founded our country were retiring, leaving the office and a new generation was coming to the forefront of politics. Names like Henry Clay who would run for President but never win. He was though speaker of the House and became the 9th Secretary of State. Had a hand in the great Missouri compromise. Daniel Webster who as an attorney argued successfully in two cases with the Supreme Court. Was twice Secretary of State also was against the war of 1812. You also get to see how the fight that he and Jackson had on different policies when Jackson became President. Then there is John Calhoun who was in favor of slavery he was also from South Carolina. He was Vice President under John Quincy Adams and one term under Andrew Jackson. He also was Secretary of State for almost one year and he also was Secretary of War for eight years. All of these men just make up a few of the ones that changed history during this time. These men seem to always be around the news. Weather as senators or in other titles of government. They may not have all agreed on the war of 1812 but one thing they fought with a passion about was slavery, whether for or against and you can just see how the war was going to happen people just needed a reason. I found this to be a very good history book for people who enjoy history. If you don’t it may be a slow read at times. For me, it was a good book. I received this book from Netgalley.com I gave it 5 stars. Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com

The Second Chance Rancher (The Millers of Morgan Valley #1)

THE SECOND CHANCE RANCHER                    KATE PEARCE

There's a reason Jackson Lymond left the Air Force, but he's not telling a soul. He'd rather keep things simple, while trying to start a new life helping his older brother on their northern California ranch. At least Morgantown's flirty local bartender can keep his mind off the past--that is, until he runs into Daisy Miller . . .

Daisy doesn't really expect Jackson to remember her. Back in school she did her best to blend in--and pretend she didn't have five brothers who'd hogtie any boy who even looked at her. These days though, she and Jackson might have more in common than just their ranching relatives. After all, they both left home only to return. Trouble is, under the watch of her fiercely protective family, Daisy is longing for some privacy. Letting Jackson into her life could make that even more difficult--or it might be the second chance they're both looking for . . .

PAT'S REVIEW

The story takes place in Morgantown and is a spin-off from another series. Jackson Lymond has come home from the Air Force and is helping his brother with the ranch from the last book. He meets Daisy Miller who is the florist in town and though she will not go out with him he continues to ask. There is a reason why she says no. What does happen is she needs his help for him to be her fake date going out of town. He agrees and this leads to confusion down the road for both of them when people in town think they are dating for real. She is also keeping a secret from her family and wants his help with that as well. All is good except for Jackson wants more of Daisy to not be fake. Just every time he brings it up they end up in an argument for something he has said. Can she get past his bumbling mouth with the boot stuck in it? Read this good story which has characters from her other series as well. I received this book from Netgalley.com Follow us atwww.1rad-readerreviews.com

Saint (Knights of Fury #1)

SAINT                                                         CHANTAL FERNANDO

Dear Skylar,

Five years. That’s a long time to go without talking to somebody, especially someone who was such a huge part of your life…

A letter from my first kiss and my childhood everything…from prison.

He may be nicknamed Saint, but this sweet, sexy biker most definitely has a wild streak. Hearing from him draws me right back into the Knights of Fury motorcycle club—the people I’ll always think of as family.

He’s still the only man I’ve ever wanted.

Each good, old-fashioned letter from my “prison pen pal” has my heart racing. Which is nothing compared to how I feel when Saint surprises me in person, as a free man.

I was just a kid the last time we saw each other, but the connection between us now is anything but innocent.

He’s the type of man who would do anything to protect his woman. And with my world crashing down around me, that’s exactly what I’m going to need.

PAT'S REVIEW

Saint is a new series about a motorcycle club and Saint is one of its members. Really though Skylar is the main focus of the book from beginning to end. You see her as a young girl growing up in the club and really looking at her stepfather Hammer as her father, he is also the club president. All is going well until her she is a teen and her mother and Hammer get into a fight and she is told to pack and leave. The story picks up a few years later with her working and then receiving some letters from Saint. Sometime after this, she decides to move back to that town just to see what is going on. The rest of the story is good with her and Saint, her and her brothers, she goes to school. There’s a lot of action and where there is action her mother is always around. There were a few surprises at the end that made this a good read. Good characters and overall a good book. I received this book from Netgalley.com I gave it 4 stars Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com (less)

Wrong Bed, Right Girl (Accidental Love #2)

WRONG BED, RIGHT GIRL                   REBECCA BROOKS 

Falling head-first into the wrong woman’s bed was not how Reed Bishop’s night was supposed to go. Now a gorgeous, half-naked ballet dancer was threatening his manhood…with a book. He can’t blame her.
It wasn’t how it seemed—he was just doing his job, tracking down his lead informant, who, unfortunately, took off, leaving him to figure out what to do with her friend. Staying in her apartment was no longer safe.
And that’s how he got himself into this mess.

Now she’s sleeping in his bed while he tosses and turns on the couch.
There are pink tights in his bathroom.
Pointe shoes next to his boots.
He swears he won’t touch her like that…but he can’t ignore his fantasies.

As a tattooed, muscled DEA Agent, Reed’s seen some things. Drug dealers, murderers…He can’t let Talia get close. Even though she’s made it clear they’re both fighting the same hunger. And he definitely can’t use his handcuffs on her…no matter how much she begs. 

PAT'S REVIEW

What a fun story about a DEA agent going to an apartment to check on an informant that he has not heard from and instead falls onto her roommate while she is sleeping. That whole meet is funny. Reed Bishop now knows he cannot leave Talia there thinking that she will be harmed. He comes up with the next best idea which is she is to stay with him. Talia agrees and the first day the moody agent says no talking, but she can’t or doesn’t listen to him. Days go by and his clean apartment now has dance bags by the front door and of course, she took over the bathroom. Later they do fall into bed together on purpose and though he says he does not want to get attached he is when she goes over his head to help them make a deal with a dealer. Mad he wants her gone but does he really? I mean once you have dance bags and pink leotards and other dance items around they do grow on you along with the person. I really liked this book the characters the dialogue just everything about to me was good. I also liked his character saying she was a warrior after he saw her feet from dancing. Being a father of dance I really appreciated that the author gave dancers that terminology for once you see all of the hours they put in they really are warriors, I did not know until I had a daughter who became one. A very good book with good characters. I received this book from Netgalley.com I gave it 5 stars Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com

A Son for the Texas Cowboy (The Texas Wolf Brothers #1)

A SON FOR THE TEXAS COWBOY                      SINCLAIR JAYNE

As the oldest brother, pro bull rider Axel Wolf has always worn the yoke of family responsibility. Seven years ago when he was at the top of his career, he gave it all up to return home to Last Stand, Texas, to raise his youngest brother and take over the reins of their massive cattle ranch. But his career wasn’t the only thing he left behind. A chance meeting with the woman he never stopped loving, Cruz, blows apart his work-only life, and he starts to want more than just his ranch. Axel’s never backed down from a challenge, but this is one risk, the cowboy’s not sure he can take. 

Former barrel racer and now single mom Cruz Lopez excels at staring down obstacles and winning. A newly certified physician’s assistant, she’s determined to build her career and create a new life for herself and her son in Texas just as long as it’s far from one sexier than sin Last Stand cowboy, who once nearly derailed her dreams and goals. Only it’s not. Luckily it’s temporary, and Cruz is confident she can avoid Axel for a month except a horrific accident throws them together when they both stop to help. Axel was her first and only love, and now she’s struggling to remember all the reasons he’s wrong when he feels so right. He told her once he never wanted a family. So why is he inviting them both on picnics and teaching her son to ride and rope? 

Axel is her past, but she’s starting to hope for a future with him. Can she trust him when it’s not just her heart at risk this time?

PAT'S REVIEW

This book was a little difficult for me. Cruz Lopez a barrel racer all of a sudden decides to break up with the bull rider she was seeing Axel Wolf. Axel is shocked because he had a ring in his pocket to propose to her, instead, she breaks up and walks away. Eight years later she has finished her nursing degree and has become a physician assistant. One of the places to work is in Texas and the town where he is from. She does not want to go there but goes and because of an accident immediately runs into him. She tries to stay away from him but he continues to find her and wants to know what he did for he loved her and still is in love with her. She speaks of him not wanting a family yet he left to raise his brother and take over the family ranch. Throughout most of the book, I thought her boy was his until you get to the end so the title seemed confusing to me. She also kept going back to something he said eight years ago but why would he say that and then want to marry her and want a family with her. These were all confusing to me and made for what at times was a good story confusing. This is probably me but that is what I took out of it or I would have given it more stars. I received this book from Netgalley.com I gave it 3 stars Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com

Savage Games (John Savage Action Thriller #2)

SAVAGE GAMES                                      PETER BOLAND

Deep in the New Forest, a body is hidden in the branches of a towering fir tree in an area known as Dead Maids Wood. When John Savage learns that the body belonged to an old school friend, he sets out to discover who was responsible.

Together with brilliant computer hacker Tannaz, he discovers his friend was down on his luck, living among those who society would rather forget – the dregs, the desperate and the homeless. Entering this dark and hidden world, Savage soon discovers that the death of his friend was just the tip of the iceberg…

PAT'S REVIEW

The first book that I have read from this author and I must say it was a good book. I thought it had plenty of action, mystery, and suspense from the beginning to the end. The different characters that were added along the way added to the story and did not take away from the storyline at all. The twist that you find out later about one of the people who live in the apartment really surprised me and was a nice touch. The banter between Savage and Tannaz the computer hacker was good and also added to the story. I really don’t want to go too much into the story for I am afraid of reviling the story. A very good book. I received this book from Netgalley.com I gave it 5 stars Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com

The Cowboy’s Rodeo Rival (Grant Brothers #3)

THE COWBOY'S RODEO RIVAL                 LESLIE NORTH

Nate Grant knows that his eldest brother has the respect, his middle brother has the smarts, and he was left to fight for his own piece of the spotlight. Thus, began his daring, dangerous, and often a little bit crazy foray into the world of rodeo. Now, with his career on the rise, Nate is back in town to do a promotional show at the local Strawberry Festival to land himself a major sponsor. But when he arrives expecting to be welcomed as the hometown hero, he instead finds himself challenged by the only person who could ever make him shake in his boots: Athena Moore. 

Athena grew up on the wrong side of the tracks. Limited money for rodeo lessons or competitions meant that while she could best the boys, she couldn’t follow them to the big leagues. Watching Nate excel really lit a fire in her britches and after school she began training and teaching young girls rodeo skills. Winning against Nate at the upcoming Strawberry Festival will show the girls (and Athena) that they could do anything boys could—and do it better to boot. 

But promoting the event means Nate and Athena are forced to spend time together. Too much time to keep their tumultuous feelings under wraps. Now, there’s a grudging respect to their relationship and a heavy dose of passion too. But as Nate and Athena get closer, their competition becomes public via a reality show. When the lines between promotion and passion are crossed, they’ll be forced to ask themselves what it is they’re fighting for...and what they’ll lose if they win

PAT'S REVIEW

The third book in this series has Nate the younger brother coming home from the rodeo circuit for the big festival in town. His name should draw in a lot of people for the rodeo and other business. The one person who is really not that happy to see him is Athena Moore, they grew up together and she has not been able to leave town because of her mother and she feels and knows she is as good as or better than Nate at the rodeo. They square off which is good for publicity and Nate helps at her camp for girls. The problem becomes more of an issue when they begin to have feelings for one another and then he finds out that he will be competing against her in the rodeo. They do get into many arguments and both of them have issues, but will they be able to get past all of those for the sake of love? Read this wonderful story to find out. I received this book from Netgalley.com I gave it 5 stars. Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com

Cowboy Rebel (Longhorn Canyon #4)

COWBOY REBEL                                     CAROLYN BROWN

Ever since losing his best friend in a motorcycle accident, Taggart Baker wants to make every moment count. No dare is too dangerous, no adventure too crazy for this cowboy. But after one bad brush with the law, he realizes it's time to ditch his hooligan friends and grow up. Now he's running his own ranch next to the Longhorn Canyon spread in Texas. Still, no one would ever call him tame.


Nikki Grady has worked too hard for her RN license just to throw it away for some reckless cowboy who shows up in her emergency room after a barroom brawl. But she can't help being drawn to Tag's sense of humor and those crystal blue eyes. The more time they spend together, the more she sees his good heart. But just as Tag seems ready to settle down for good, his troubled past comes calling-and this time he won't be able to walk away so easily.

PAT'S REVIEW

In this book, we are back in Longhorn Canyon and I liked the two lead characters. Taggart Baker is living his life like the Tim McGraw song “Live like you are dying” This mostly because he lost his best friend to a motorcycle accident when they were younger. He has not skydived or rode a bull name Fu man Chu for 2.5 seconds. He has been a bull rider. After a fight in the bar where he is cut open under his chin the nurse, Nikki Grady is getting him ready to be seen by the doctor and they both have an instant attraction to one another. Taggart problem is he is fighting himself on wanting to settle down or not. Nikki wants to be with him but is scared with all he gets himself into. After they finally agree his past comes back and makes for a scare and then a bull named Fu Man Chu comes through town and he needs to ride it. Maybe she will have a chance with him if he can stay alive. See what happens in this good story. I received this book from Netgalley.com I gave it 4 stars. Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com

Cowboy Brave (Longhorn Canyon #3)

COWBOY BRAVE                                     CAROLYN BROWN

This city girl's about to get a dose of cowboy charmEmily Baker doesn't rough it - anymore. Born and raised on a farm, she's worked hard to distance herself from that life, thank you very much. But when the seniors at the nursing home where she works beg for a ranch retreat, she caves and heads up to the Longhorn Canyon spread. With one glance at the sexy cowboy who opens the door, she's suddenly thinking a week with him might not be so bad after all. 
Justin Maguire doesn't quite know what to do with the gorgeous woman who shows up on his doorstep. She's all curves and confidence-even after stepping in a cow pie. Too bad she's determined not to fall for a cowboy. But with the help of five nosy, matchmaking seniors, he might just convince her he's worth the risk.
SECOND CHANCE COWBOY Once a cowboy, always a cowboy! Jack Everett can handle working on the ranch, but turning around the failing vineyard he's also inherited? That requires working with the woman he never expected to see again.

PAT'S REVIEW

I could not get into this story like some of the author's other books. I thought the fab five would make the story move along going to the ranch but for some reason, this book did not flow with me like some of her other ones. I am sure her next one will and will give that one a chance. This is just me the story has some of the same characters from the last book and so you really don’t need to get caught up, it just felt off, for me. I received this book from Netgalley.com I gave it 3 three stars. Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com

Adventures in Online Dating

ADVENTURES IN ONLINE DATING                   JULIE PARTICKA

For Alexa, the answer to everything comes down to numbers. Three sons. One divorce. One great life...except her boys are getting older and they really need a man in their lives. Enter the number twenty, as in after twenty minutes with someone she knows whether or not she wants them in her life. So, she hatches a plan to meet any man who even remotely strikes her interest—for a twenty-minute date at her favorite coffee shop. It’s the perfect plan to find her perfect match in the most efficient way possible.

Too bad coffee shop owner Marshall isn’t keen on the idea. He doesn’t want his shop to be her speed dating zone—especially since she’s made it clear he’s too young to be a contender. But Alexa finds herself drawn to Marshall in ways she can’t quantify. There’s no easy answer, and once the kids become involved, her well-ordered world threatens to fall apart—twenty minutes at a time.

PAT'S REVIEW

Alexa is a divorced mother with three boys, she has not dated in a very long time and one of the reasons is her set of questions that are set to equal a perfect match for her with her boys. Alexa plans and arranges everything in her life along with her boys. When going into her favorite coffee house owned by Marshall, he overhears her talking to her best friend agreeing with the dates for 20 minutes in the afternoon at his coffee shop. He disagrees with her plan at is not embarrassed that he is caught overhearing their conversation. Really he wants to date her but does not know how to ask her out. Now she comes up with a compromise in paying for the use of the table and he agrees. After a few dates, he begins to talk to her and finds out that none of them have made her list and he asks to take her questions and actually scores all of the marks that are the highest. Her problem though is that she is ten years older than him and feels it would not work and he would not be good for her boys. Weeks go by and she still has not found anyone he actually steps up in front of a jerk and she likes it. One night they go out just on a business dinner and later when she goes back to his place she knows it can’t be anything more with his kitchen with star wars, doctor who, vinyl pop, and two video chairs in the front room. He is like a large version of a teenage boy. My wife says I still act like that at times after 40 years of marriage and being 59. Back to the review. She likes him and would like to be with him but she makes him feel like it is only a booty call. When she finds out that her eldest boy has talked to him about some questions instead of her she goes off the rails. Now you have to read the story to find out what happens. A good book. I received this book from Netgalley.com I gave it 4 stars. Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com

28 Dates (Crazy Love #3)

28 DATES                                                   STACY LYNN

Caitlin Pappas is a lifelong commitment-phobe. The closest thing she’s had to a relationship in the last few years was a friends-with-benefits thing that fizzled out because the guy wanted more. So when she and her best friend design a new app that promises to find “the one” in 28 Dates, Caitlin is the perfect guinea pig. Little does she know that she may have already met her match. . . .

Jonas Reeves has tried his best to move on after Caitlin didn’t want take things to the next level. Now they really are just friends . . . without benefits. Caitlin’s even a regular at his bar, The Dirty Martini. But when he learns that Caitlin plans to beta-test a new dating app on his home turf, Jonas senses a golden opportunity to win her heart. Even if he has to slide into her DMs to do it. . . .

PAT'S REVIEW

This book started out with a friend with benefits story. Catlin and Jonas being together in this deal for two years. One morning before leaving he tells Catlin that he wants more a commitment and that he has found someone but has not started anything because he wants her, Catlin. She Catlin says she can’t and would like to keep things as they are. He says no and weeks go by and later she meets his new girlfriend. Around this time Catlin’s boss develops a new dating app and wants her to test it out, hence 28 dates. After much hemming and hawing, she agrees which throws Jonas for a loop when he finds out. He later breaks up with the said girlfriend and gets with her boss and tells him of his plan. Though everyone thinks they would make a good fit it is up to Catlin overcoming the past and you discover what that is. It is also here that the story sort of reminds me of the movie “Shop around the corner” and “You got Mail”. Done a little differently at the end which was really nice along with the epilogue which makes up for anything at the beginning. A good story and worth the read. I received this book from Netgalley.com I gave it 4 stars. Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com

Operation Devil Horns: The Takedown of Ms-13 in San Francisco

OPERATION DEVIL HORNS                  MICHAEL SANTINI

In a bid to take down MS-13's criminal network in the Mission District of San Francisco, Michael Santini, a special agent with Homeland Security Investigations, recruits a pair of hardened gang members and convinces them to risk their lives as criminal informants. Set in a city with one of the strictest sanctuary policies protecting illegal immigrants in America, Operation Devil Horns illustrates how politically correct ideology impacts life-or-death crime fighting on the streets. 

Through the informants' eyes, Operation Devil Horns offers a rare glimpse into the pervasive criminal subculture of MS-13, a gang of Spanish-speaking immigrants that still terrorizes pockets of American society today - including their own compatriots. The case begins with a focus on the gang in San Francisco, eventually widening to include a network that reaches across borders. Santini tracks down the gang's leadership from the Bay Area to the prison cells of corrupt Central American regimes. Eventually, it takes the cold-blooded murder of three family members in San Francisco to shake the American public out of complacency and focus sober attention on a growing and violent threat.

This is the story of a dedicated team of special agents, federal prosecutors, and local police who overcome political and legal challenges to take down more than two dozen violent criminal targets.

PAT'S REVIEW

This was an interesting book about a special agent and his work on taking down the gang MS-13 in San Francisco. This gang came up from El Salvador and settle in Los Angeles first just as a group of kids displaced from all of the violence from that country. They ten formed on the streets of Los Angeles and started taking over other local gang territories. They were extremely violent and when arrested that violence transferred into the jails and prisons in California, not talked about in the book. It would be a few years later that there was information about them. Now sadly they are everywhere in the United States. Yes, this is a very good story about this man and his team turning two members into snitches with the threat of sending them back to El Salvador and death. Not saying either is right or wrong just saying. The author takes you through the journey and there even is a story of our now Governor of California, who was then Mayor of San Francisco shaking hands with one of their leaders. Now we have Senators and congressmen and women who do not want to deport criminals and sadly some, not all are gang members. Though I liked this book and I think people should read it the gang itself is still around. Having been in law enforcement for over 30 years I still see their tattoos around. Are they still gone from San Francisco I don’t think so but I hope? A good book that shows what goes into taking down a gang. I received this book from Netgalley.com I gave it 5 stars Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com

Walter Camp: Football and the Modern Man

WALTER CAMP                                        JULIE DES JARDINES

Americans are obsessed with football, yet they know little about the man who shaped the game to make it uniquely technical, physical, and 'man-making' at once. Walter Camp, the "Father of American Football," was the foremost authority on American athletics and arguably the greatest amateur American athlete of his time. 
In Walter Camp: Football and the Modern Man, Julie Des Jardins chronicles the life of the clock company executive and self-made athlete who remade football and redefined the ideal man. As a student at Yale University, Camp was a varsity letterman who led the earliest efforts to codify the rules and organization of football-including the line of scrimmage and "downs"-to make it distinct from English rugby. He also invented the All-America Football Team and wrote some of the first football fiction, guides, and sports page coverage, making him the foremost popularizer of the game. Within a decade American football was an obsession on college campuses of the Northeast. By the turn of the century, it was a bona fide national pastime.
Since the Civil War, college men of good breeding had not a physical skirmish to harden them. They had grown soft, Americans feared, both in body and attitude. Camp saw football as the antidote to the degeneration of these young men. When massive numbers of college football players enlisted to fight in World War I, Camp held them up as proof that football turned men effective and courageous. His influence over the game, however, was not always viewed as beneficial. Under his watch, dozens of college and high school players were killed or maimed on the gridiron. President Theodore Roosevelt urged him to reform football to prevent administrators from banning it, but Camp was ambivalent about removing the very physicality that made the game man-making in his eyes. The criticism targeted at him over the aggressiveness of football still haunts the game today.
In this fast-paced biography, Julie Des Jardins shows how the "gentleman athlete" was as much the arbiter of football as he was the arbiter of modern manhood. Though eventually, football took on meanings that Camp never intended, his impact on the professional and college game is simply unsurpassed.

PAT'S REVIEW

Good or bad Walter Camp is still part of today’s football. Most people just don’t talk about him and though part of the game remains the same as when he began organizing teams and plays. There is still talk of the violence of the game something he was criticized for as well but he never backed. He even said part of the toughness of the soldiers in WWI were they played football. True as it may be this is a good book and just shows that since when football started there has always been critical. I received this book from Netgalley.com I gave it 4 stars Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com