(R) Blind Faith by Rebecca Zanetti

Nate Dean is a man who has loved and lost.  The woman who stole his heart betrayed him and he has vowed to never love again.  He and his brother are running on borrowed time as they try to figure out a way to stop a chip in their spine from killing them.  Yet when Nate realizes the one person who can help is the woman he has spent his life trying to forget?  As a man who will do anything for his brothers, including seducing the woman who broke his heart, he goes in search of Audrey.

Audrey Madison still loves Nate.  And when she spies across a crowded ballroom, she realizes the boy she knew and loved has now grown in a man.  A dangerously sexy man.  But Audrey has her own secrets.  Despite her mother being the woman who helped create Nate and his brothers, Audrey wants to bring down the man behind it all - no matter what the cost.  She infiltrates a government office to help make this happen, joining forces with Senator Nash, hoping to bring down the machine that created Nate, his brothers, and a bevy of other soldier-assassins.  And then, there is a deeper secret, one that hits much closer to home, and not just her own.

This has been my favorite book in the Sin Brothers series.  We have had seen bits and pieces of Nate in the other two books in the series, Forgotten Sins and Sweet Revenge, and I'm glad to see this book of his own.  Nate is my favorite brother - he loves hard, he protects without thought to his safety, and his sense of duty runs deep.  (Who wouldn't love that?) We've known since Forgotten Sins that he still had feelings for Audrey and I had hoped that when he went to find her that she would be worthy of the deep feelings that run through this man.  And, boy, was she ever!  Audrey is a great heroine.  Her love of Nate runs so deep - even deeper than the misplaced love of her mother.  Even though Audrey hopes that her mother loves her and, deep down, wants to be a good person, Audrey knows that the things her mother has done are wrong and unforgivable.  When Audrey finds out that her mother only loves her as a science experiment, she realizes that no one will ever love her as much as Nate does.

A side note about Senator Nash.  Omg.  I LOVE this character!  He may be an old man but I'd kill to see a novella, just with him, after everything is all said and done with these characters.  When he rises to the challenge of helping Audrey and Nate defeat the Commander - it is the funniest part of a serious book.  He is a lovable character and one I'm looking forward to seeing more of in the final book of the series, Total Surrender (due out in 2015).

An ARC was provided by NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

(NA) Dare to Kiss by S. B. Alexander

Lacey and her family have moved to a new town to escape the trauma of the murders of her mother and sister. As a result, Lacey has PTSD and spends a great deal of time looking over her shoulder - the killers of her family were never caught. One of the things that helped her get through was her love of baseball. And another of the reasons they moved was also because Lacey had a chance of making it onto the school's all male baseball team which could mean a scholarship for her.

Enter Kade. The rough, tough bad boy with a soft side to him. Unless you mess with his family or someone he loves. Returning back to school after another incident with a student, he quickly turns his eye to Lacey. Kade has a family of strong brothers who all rally to protect what's theirs. So when Kade's enemy returns to settle the score, his brothers and Lacey are there. Is their love strong enough to make it through Kade's enemies, Lacey's PTSD, and high school?

I really enjoyed this book. One of the things I most loved about this book was Lacey. Sure, she was annoying some of the time but what high school girl isn't? But she stood up for herself and went after what she wanted - the rest of high school be damned. She wasn't going to wait around to be saved. She did the saving herself. Yes, her PTSD did present a lot of issues but it was one of the things that brought her and Kade closer together (especially after she blacked out when he brought her home one night).

Another thing I liked? Kade's brothers. Lord help me, all of them need their own books *hint, hint* They were hilarious and strong and had a moral compass beneath their heavy exterior. I would definitely love to see more of them!

I really enjoyed this book and I think it would be a great read for anyone who loves a heroine who can stand on her own two feet, with a great guy standing next to her.

An ARC was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

(R) Necessary Force by D. D. Ayers

Georgia Flynn is a freelance photographer in Washington, D.C., used to photographing senators, dignitaries, and major events.  But when a friend calls in a favor, asking Georgia to photograph sexy members of law enforcement and their working dogs for a fundraising calendar (to benefit retired K-9s), she can't help it when she becomes attracted to one man in particular.  Out of every man there that day, one strikes up a conversation and in a moment of weakness, she takes him home for a one night stand, completely understanding she'll never see him again.

When Eric Lawson and his dog Zander are called in for a suspected bomb threat, he is shocked to see Georgia Flynn standing across from him.  As a suspect.  The woman who had photographed him and slept with him.  He knew there was no way she was the terrorist he was chasing after but he has a job to do.  After working it over with his superiors, he pushes himself into her life after seeing that she is in danger - not only from a stalker but a stalker who may end up being the terrorist he is looking for.  While he does wonder if Georgia knows about what is going on, he eventually learns that her life is seriously in danger and he will do anything to protect her.

As someone who works with dogs, I could NOT resist requesting this book, especially when I found out the dogs are going to play a big role in this series.  (Who can resist a man in uniform AND a dog?)  While I think that this book would have been better suited to have just been told from Georgia's point-of-view, I still enjoyed the book.  Knowing this is a novella, you can only expect so much character development within it.  I really liked being able to see things from Eric's side as an investigator.  The action was fast-paced and I loved how she made sure that Zander was an integral part of saving Georgia.  I'm really looking forward to seeing more from this author and of this series!!

An ARC was provided by NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

(R) His Every Need by Terri L. Austin

Allie Campbell is willing to do anything to help her family.  After having to take over the reins of her family when her mother passes away, she learns her father has managed to lose their house as well.  When Allie learns the name of the man whom her father as gotten a loan, and managed to default on, is Brit tycoon Trevor Blake, she goes to see him.  She agrees to move in and become his mistress in exchange for forgiving her father's debts.  Even though her father is oblivious to the problems within the family, her younger sister is running with the wrong crowd, and the youngest sister is withdrawing into herself, Allie still decides this is the best she can do to save her family.

While Trevor never really intended to follow through with this ridiculous scheme, things don't exactly go as planned (do they ever?).  His parents show up and, with them, chaos.  He is closed off from them, causing him to do the same to Allie.  As he begins to find solace with her, not only physically but emotionally, he starts to develop real feelings for Allie.  But when he pushes her away and pushes too far, he loses Allie.  But can he get her back?

Is it possible to give a book more than five stars?  If so, this book would be at the top of the list to deserve those extra stars.  I LOVED this book!  When I first read the synopsis, I immediately thought it would be more Fifty Shades than romantic tale.  Boy was I surprised.  Trevor doesn't immediately get into bed with Allie, despite their agreement.  And the way their chemistry grows with the turn of every page and how they each handle the same situations when they are thrust together is a wonderful change of pace.  I love how both of their families add a further dimension to the story.  Trevor hates his family but Allie loves them (as so will the readers - eventually); Allie wants to save her family and Trevor wants her to see they need to save themselves.  Its a wonderful story, full of surprises and love.  This author is moving up on my list of favorites and I cannot wait to see even more of Allie and Trevor in the future!

An ARC was provided by NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

(R) My Hunger by Lisa Renee Jones

*SPOILERS*

Mark Compton's life is continuing to fall apart all around him.  Rebecca is gone and he blames himself.  His mother has cancer and he can't do anything about it.  He is developing feelings for the woman who runs his art galley in New York, Crystal, and he doesn't want to.  Wanting to face his demons, he tries to continue going on with his daily life even though the police are trying to find a way to pin Rebecca's murder on him.  He is a Master and relies on control and it is all slipping through his fingers.  But in Crystal's body, he finds solace.  Not control - a warmth, a connection that comes from a man just being with a woman.  Can Mark move on with Crystal even though he feels his control slipping through his fingers?

As the third book in Mark's point-of-view, I am growing to love Mark as a person, not just as a Master.  You know his feelings for Rebecca were real, he just was uncertain as to how to move forward.  With Crystal, a woman who by her own admission will never his submissive, bringing out the MAN in Mark, that is who I love and want to see more of.  Ms. Jones writes Mark so well - his confusion, his frustration, his love.  Although this is a novella, the way Mark's emotions unfold is storytelling at its best.  As Mark develops feelings for Crystal, the confusion it causes him as he tries to juggle not only his daily life of running two successful art galleries that are across the country from each other but also his struggles as a Master who is supposed to never get emotionally attached.  Crystal has her own skeletons in her closet and I can't wait to see how this story continues!  I love Mark and I love the Master in him - the more of him, the better.

An ARC was provided by NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

(R) Runaway Cowboy by Keira Cole

Rebecca Bonifay is the youngest member of the Bonifay clan and runs the ranch and her own horse rescue operation.  When Jesse, a cowboy drifter, saves Rebecca from her ex-boyfriend, she wants to repay him.  And when Jesse is injured, she just knows that having him recuperate at her farm is just what he needs... and just what she wants.  She wants Jesse to be her first but he wants to keep her at bay, which is difficult since they are both working on helping an abused horse recover.

As their passions grow between them, Jesse beings to wonder if he will be able to stick around for Rebecca.  After being so damaged in his past, he thinks he isn't worthy of someone like Rebecca.  From the beginning, he had told her that he wouldn't be sticking around and that he would leave her one day, hoping against hope that it would guard both their hearts.  When he finally does leave, a tragedy strikes.  Has Rebecca healed Jesse's heart enough to know that he's the only man for her and that he can be by her side always?

I so wanted to love this book!  As someone who does animal rescue (horses and dogs), I could certainly connect with Rebecca on a personal level.  But I didn't love this book but I did like it.  I really loved seeing Jesse and Rebecca's love grow as they worked together to help a damaged horse gain love and trust of people again.  But I felt like something was missing.  Rebecca went so quickly from saying, "I want him to be my first" and that's it to being in love with him that I just felt like the development of feelings was missing.  It was touched on but never explored.  However, I LOVED Jesse.  Watching Jesse grow emotionally through his love of horses and his feelings for Rebecca was wonderful to read.  Their passions cannot be denied and when they finally come together, its fireworks.  Overall, a good read and an author I would like to see more of.

An ARC was provided by NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

(R) The Master Undone by Lisa Renee Jones

*SPOILERS*

The old saying goes, "You never knew what you had until its gone."  Mark has lost Rebecca.  And in that, he has lost himself.  He can't believe Rebecca has died - killed by a woman who used to be his submissive.  Through his own problems, he finds out his mother in dying of cancer.  His world has been thrown completely off-kilter and he begins to doubt if he could ever be a Master again.  Then he meets Crystal, the woman running his business while his mother is in the hospital...

Mark doesn't want to feel anything for her but you can't fight who you're attracted to.  The way she speaks to him, no one has ever done that.  He's a Master - he commands those around him, not the other way around.  Yet he allows Crystal to do so.  His confusion furthers when he realizes that it may just be what he needs.  And after a single passionate night in his hotel, Crystal leaves him, saying it never happened and it won't change their working relationship.  But Mark isn't so sure that he wants to forget.

This amazing novella allows us to get inside Mark's head.  After seeing and reading about him through Rebecca's eyes in her Lost Journals, you do wonder just how deep do Mark's feelings for her go.  You know what Rebecca wants and in The Master Undone, you see just how conflicts Mark's feelings were.  He wanted to have more, he just wasn't sure how to have more.  Being a Master was all he'd known and until Rebecca, was all he needed.  And then he lost her.  Can he find himself, find the Master he is, with Crystal? 

Lord I hope so - I need more Mark, I need more Master.

(Mark and Crystal's story will continue in My Hunger.)

An ARC was provided by NetGalley as a part of the ARC of Rebecca's Lost Journals.