Kensie's Treasure - J.M.Schneider

Kensie’s Treasures by J.M. Schneider
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a good four and a half star read. I really enjoyed this adventure-romance story. Although many romance stories contain an element of something else (suspense, mystery, adventure or the like it's usually an add on or a plot device that influences the way that the romance plays out. Less commonly, you come across a story where the other element plays as important a role as the romance. Kensie's Treasures is one such story.
Kensie has been obsessed with a pirate called Cyrus Buckwell. She leant about him as a teenager as he had some kind of connection with her school (I forget what exactly) and since then she's read and researched him. So much so that not only is it now her area of expertise at the university she works at, but she also is the only one who is an expert on him who has a different opinion of where his ship might have sunk and with it the priceless treasure that he stole from London and had been part of the crown jewels. When no one listens to her, she takes the opportunity when on a cruise to attempt to discover the missing treasure herself.
I don't want to give a full break down of the entire plot, but she meets Julian Burke, a seemingly scruffy layabout, but the only one willing to take her where she needs to be to dive for the missing treasure. The more time they spend together, the closer they become and the more that she questions what's really important.
This is an exciting and gripping read. I really wanted to know what was going to find out. Would Kensie find her treasure? Could she trust Julian? What really is important? It was easy to get pulled into Kensie and Julian's world. Not only are they treasure hunting, but it's clear that they are falling in love and that there's a great deal of chemistry between them. There's also the added danger of the shifty characters who also want to get their hands on the missing jewellery.
I do sometimes get a bit put off by the idea of the heroine not being seen as that attractive until the hero comes along and then suddenly she shines. There is an element of that here, but I think it has more to do with the fact that Kensie hasn't made time for romance and men in her life. She doesn't need Julian to see her worth, but he encourages her to recognise what's important.
I really enjoyed Kensie's Treasure and would recommend it to both lovers of romance and those who enjoy a bit of action and adventure in their reading material.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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Passion Punch - Tricia Leedom

Passion Punch
Tricia Leedom
(Key West Escape, #3)
Published by: Firefly Hill Press
Publication date: October 22nd 2019
Genres: Adult, Adventure, Romance

When April Linus’ best friends find themselves in trouble with the Miami Mafia, the former heiress turns to an even more dangerous criminal for help… her father.
Not an easy decision for the young, single mother who found herself pregnant at nineteen and forced to choose between her trust fund and having a baby. April’s father agrees to loan her the money, if she moves home for a few months so he can get to know his grandchild. Before she can decide what to do, she comes face to face with the last man she ever expected to see again… her father’s former bodyguard who disappeared five years ago after she slept with him.
Black Ops operative Jonas Ostergaard made a nearly fatal mistake the last time he was in Key West. After working his way into Philip Linus’ circle of trust, Jonas let the Arms Dealer’s beautiful, kindhearted daughter distract him from his mission. He was yanked off the job by his superiors, but now he’s back to stop Linus from selling a dangerous new technology on the black market.
Needing to prove himself to save his job, Jonas is determined to keep his distance from April this time. But when he suspects she knows more about her father’s illegal business dealings than she admits, he’s torn between protecting her and uncovering the truth.
Passion ignites when April and Jonas end up on the run dodging arms dealers in the steamy Amazon rainforest, but April wonders what kind of relationship she could have with a man who has more secrets than she does. A man who could disappear at any moment and leave her heart in tatters.
Trapped between loyalty to her father and a new allegiance with the man she’s falling in love with, April realizes none of it will matter if they don’t escape the jungle alive.

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Author Bio:
TRICIA LEEDOM enjoys traveling to exotic destinations and having torrid love affairs with hot, dangerous men… even if it’s only in her own mind. When she’s not writing romantic adventure novels, she reads voraciously, tweets compulsively, and fangirls over a TV show based on her favorite book series. Tricia earned her BA in Creative Writing from The University of Tampa and her MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University. Her favorite authors include Diana Gabaldon, J.R. Ward, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Karen Robards, and Johanna Lindsey. She lives in Southwest Florida with two very spoiled dogs. Follow Tricia on Twitter and Instagram @tricialeedom

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My Review

I have to admit that initially, I wasn't sure if I was going to like this one. It opens with 19-year-old April, who is pregnant, being pressured by her father to give up her baby once he is born. She refuses and is helped by two drag queens who are on the street handing out flyers for their venue. Most of the action takes place five years later and despite my initial misgivings, the story unfolded rapidly and got my attention.

The father of April's baby, Jonas, has no idea that he has a son. He was working undercover in April's house, trying to gather evidence on her father who is an arms dealer. After spending one night with April, he was whisked away on another assignment. Now he has to return and finds out all about his son.

This is an adventure book as well as a romance. Not only are Jonas and April irresistibly drawn to each other once again, but they also find themselves facing all kinds of danger at April's father's hands. I enjoyed both aspects of this storyline. Jonas and April work well together as a couple and the action side of the book works well. There's also a bit of light relief and a humorous edge to the story.

This is book three in the series. I haven't read the first two, but I'm fairly confident that we meet the characters from those books in this one. It didn't reduce my enjoyment to be new to it all, the book works well as a standalone. Overall this was an exciting, gripping and fun read. 

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