Chosen Mate - Katie Reus

Chosen Mate by Katie Reus
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I haven't read any of the other books in this series, but I don't think that it really mattered. I certainly didn't feel like I was missing out on anything by not having met the characters before.
It tells the story of Leslie and Malcolm, who are wolf shifters. He is the alpha of their pack and knew from the moment that he met her, that Leslie would be his mate. She has been mated before, but that relationship was abusive and as a result, Malcolm is taking things very slowly. As they begin to reveal their feelings for one another, threat comes in the form of a feral wolf on their territory. Malcolm has to deal with this and protect Leslie.
I enjoyed reading about the developing relationship between Leslie and Malcolm. He was very sweet towards her and although he's an alpha, didn't try to completely dominate or control her. The only thing that I wasn't totally convinced about was the age gap. These are creatures that have very long lives, but even so, 200 years between them seemed a little bit OTT. I think that there's sometimes this feeling that the woman MUST be younger and less experienced than the man, but I'm not convinced that it's necessary and as I say, that much of a gap seems odd, especially when he appears and acts as though he was a similar age.
This is quite a short little story and I read it in a very short space of time. It was a nice quick read although that did mean that there wasn't a lot of room for huge character development, you don't always need that.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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Death at Sandy Bay - Betty Rowlands

Death at Sandy Bay by Betty Rowlands
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The last Sukey Reynolds book, what am I going to do now?! I've enjoyed this whole series, following Sukey from her early days as a scene of crime officer, until now when she's a detective constable looking to possibly be promoted to a sergeant.
This latest book has a number of suspicious deaths, with only one of them being definitely a murder, the others might possibly be. There are lots of twists and turns, most of which work quite well. I will admit though, that I wasn't completely convinced by the ending, it was almost left up in the air a bit. I don't' want to go into too many details and give things away. It didn't detract from my enjoyment of the book and I'd still recommend it, particularly to Sukey fans. In fact, I think that it was probably intentional that it was a little ambiguous.
I'll be sorry to see Sukey go, I've enjoyed reading about her. I've said before that I wasn't completely convinced by the sudden change in her life, midway through the series. I've still enjoyed them all though. It was good to see that Sukey settled into new career well and was enjoying life with her journalist friend. There was only a passing reference to her son, who randomly seems to have changed the degree that he's doing for some reason.
Overall, this has been a fantastic series and one that I've really enjoyed. You don't need to have read the other books, but I would encourage you to if you get the chance.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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The Wrong Kind of Love - Lexi Ryan

The Wrong Kind of Love by Lexi Ryan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the first book in the Boys of Jackson Harbor series, but the second that I've read. I actually started with the last in the series, but that really didn't matter. I really enjoyed both this first book and the one I've already read and reading them out of order, doesn't really matter.
This story is about Nic and Ethan. Ethan lost his wife three years earlier and no longer wants to have any kind of relationship with a woman. When he meets Nic, he finds himself drawn to her and they can't resist one another. When they find out that Nic is to be his daughter's nanny, things get a little awkward.
The storyline deals not only with a growing romance but also the question of depression and mental health. In many ways, Nic and Ethan are perhaps not ideally suited, but the way that the story unfolds and their relationship grows, it becomes clear that they are in fact, perfect for one another.
I really liked Ethan and Nic as a couple. The sexual tension between them was really well done and then when they finally worked things out, it worked really well. I'm always a little bit worried about how a child is dealt with in this kind of book, but how the couple interacted with Lilly worked really well.
Having read two books from the Boys of Jackson Harbor series, I'm really keen now to go and read the rest.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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Death Has Deep Roots - Michael Gilbert

Death Has Deep Roots: A Second World War Mystery by Michael Gilbert
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I've loved reading these British Library Crime classics over the last year or so. I think that Death Has Deep Roots would have to be one of my favourites so far. Not only does it feature a murder mystery to get to the bottom of, but the action is split between characters who try to get to the bottom of the mystery and the courtroom where the person that has been accused of the crime is being tried.
I really enjoyed the way the action flicked between both parts of the story and it made for a really enjoyable read.
I have to admit that I didn't get to the bottom of the mystery fully until the big reveal, but that really didn't matter. The story is set in postwar Europe, with the murder taking place in London and the events that led to it having happened during the war in France. The storyline dealing with the French resistance in occupied France adds a depth to the storyline that really captures your interest. Possibly even more so now, as we are looking back at something that is now a long time ago, but when this was written the setting would have been a lot more recognisable to readers.
This was a great read and one that I thoroughly enjoyed.
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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The Allingham Minibus - Margery Allingham

The Allingham Minibus by Margery Allingham
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I haven't actually read any of Margery Allingham's book before, so I wasn't really sure what to expect. I'm not sure why I haven't read any before, I've always been a fan of detective novels from the golden age and I have even come across Campion, the detective she is most known for on TV. Although Campion does appear in a couple of the short stories in this book, the collection isn't all about mysteries. In fact, my favourite stories in the collection were those with a bit of a spooky feel. The one with the parrot or the old lady with the radio really stood out.
The stories in this collection are for the most part quite short, but they still offer a lot despite this. She has the ability to tell an engaging and interesting story in just a few short pages. In fact, the one that I enjoyed the least was the longest in the collection. Even that was still a good read.
This might be the first Margery Allingham that I've read, but I'm sure that it won't be the last and I'll be dipping into her books when I get the chance.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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Love in the Stacks - Delilah Peters

Love in the Stacks by Delilah Peters
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I've read a few of these short stories from Carina Press. While they don't offer a long, in-depth story, they are a fun, quick read with lots of dirty bits as the title of the series would suggest. This is a very quick read, but for something fast and instantly satisfying, then you can't go far wrong here.
The story is about Poppy and Ben, who both work in the library in New Bedford. Ben has not been there long and works in the archives downstairs. He's a little different, being shy and reserved one minute, but once Poppy gets to know him, he's anything but and the sparks fly between them.
As this is quite short, there isn't a great deal of character development or plot here, but that doesn't really matter. It was still very enjoyable and I liked the growing relationship between the two.
The story is set at Christmas and even features a snowstorm that traps Poppy and Ben in the library together overnight. If you had a cold winters evening in front of the fire, then this book would be a great read to enjoy.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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