Kathy3

Ronan Burbank's life had completely disintegrated. Once, he'd lived the life most dream about. Then tragedy struck, accusations were made, and Ronan had lost almost everything.

Being cursed to be a selkie, Meriel Byrne had lived the past seven years in the sea. Born human, she had never known of the curse until that fateful night she had fallen to what could have been her death. Instead, she hadn't died.

Each year, she returned to the spot where she had turned. This year, something was wrong. A sailor was about to drown, and she saved his life, irrevocably twining his destiny to hers. Meriel feared what it could mean, but now she was human again, and she also learned that the man she had saved was Ronan. Only together might they be able to break the curse.

Heart of the Sea had a fascinating concept and likeable characters. I felt bad for Ronan who had watched his entire life disintegrate. However, I couldn't understand Ronan's quick acceptance of Meriel being a selkie and why his first reaction wasn't to call the police and show she was still alive. Still, I find myself fascinated by Sela Carsen's storylines and look forward to what she plans next.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5
© Kathy Andrico and gottawritenetwork.com

Nate Kelly was a man on a mission. Once he completed this mission, he was going to retire. No more spying, no more lies, no more secrets. All he needed to do was take down some illegal arms dealers, and he could put that life behind him forever.

Identifying the bad guys was the easy part of Nate's job. Figuring out how the knockout woman with the fake Russian accent factored in was more challenging. Was she in with them, a spy herself, or something else entirely?

It didn't matter. Nate was good at his job, and she was just another mystery for him to solve.

The Twelve Lies of Christmas is a fast-paced, somewhat quirky, romantic suspense written in the hero's first person narrative. Nate's off-beat observations were amusing, and I enjoyed his overall character. I didn't find the heroine to be as well developed. Perhaps it is because the story is solely from his POV, or it could just be her personality, but I couldn't identify with her. There wasn't so much a mystery, but the suspense of how and when the dealers would be caught. This was well paced and even entertaining, and certain to pique the interest of readers to have them start the Sophie Green Mysteries.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5
© Kathy Andrico and gottawritenetwork.com

Hearts Unbound
By Rebecca Goings
Cursed Hearts Series - Book 2
Samhain Publishing
ISBN: 1-59998-680-9
November 2007
Paranormal Romance

As we had seen in Hearts Eternal, Jareth Moreland had committed atrocities. He had pursued his brother Laith, and the woman they both loved, Cassandra, after their deaths, by becoming vampire. Then, when they finally were being reunited, he tried to intervene and kill Laith. In the end, it had been he who had died.

But he was given a second chance. He had been pulled back in time to before that fateful moment that he had turned vampire. He was being given a second chance to not make the same mistakes, but he questioned the extent of the cost he would have to bear.

Jessica Belstowe loved Jareth. She was a witch, and knew of the fate that would become him, and was determined to save him. So she did the only thing she knew to pull and hold him to her. She made them shelmirs, soulmates. Yet it was immediately obvious Jareth would want her only against his will. He still yearned for Cassandra, and Jessica feared that the witch Morana, whose evil plans had ruined so many lives the first time, might still be able to succeed again.

Hearts Unbound was a fascinating sequel to Hearts Eternal. I had deep reservations about Jareth being a hero. He had been so evil before, I wondered how Ms. Goings would be able to make him a sympathetic hero, particularly considering that this would be a novella. I was impressed with how Ms. Goings gradually revealed the true Jareth. Without revealing spoilers, I will simply say that there was adequate explanation. Unlike most of her stories, there weren't diverse secondary characters. Primarily, there was Morana who has basically one facet - evil. The highlight of both books for me was how she reconciled the two stories.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5
© Kathy Andrico and gottawritenetwork.com

Comtessa Amara de la Cortese had been punished by St. Nicholas for her mistreatment of her subjects, and their children. For two days, every fifty years, Amara was released from her prison of being a statue to learn the meaning of love. She had ten opportunities, and had failed the previous nine times. Now was her tenth, and last, chance.

After his divorce, Nick Gamble knew he and his young daughter had drifted apart. Now, she was with him for the holidays, and he wanted to strengthen their relationship. When Sami comes to him declaring that the statue had come to life, and he needed to help that woman, Nick knew it was probably just a homeless person or maybe an addict. But when he saw Sami's expression, Nick knew he was lost. Sami still believed in magic, and that he could solve anything. He would help this woman and her search for the meaning of love.

What he didn't know was that magic still existed, and that he was intricately tied to the answer to her question.

Miracle at Midnight was a touching romance, perfect for the holiday season. A woman, whose heart had been as solid as the statue she had been turned into, must learn the meaning of love. Time after time, she had glimpsed love, but it had still not been the complete answer. Not until she meets Sami and Nick.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5
© Kathy Andrico and gottawritenetwork.com

The following review contains spoilers from Inventing the Abbotts, Book 1 of the Aztec Security series.

Yancy Adams was a marked man. His supposed death, and reappearance in the Grayson compound had his co-workers wondering about his loyalties. Had he truly been undercover, or was he, even now, still working for Grayson? At the same time, Yancy knows that Grayson wants him dead. Determined to bring Grayson down, Yancy goes on assignment with Mauve O'Connor. Not that this helped ease his concerns. If anything, Mauve was out for his blood even more than Grayson, and she was a fellow agent.

Mauve didn't know what to make of Yancy. She was still annoyed with him from their one night together, and she didn't necessarily believe that he was telling the truth now. She wanted to distance herself from him, and had no qualms in lying to him about how that night made her feel. But there was no lying to herself. She hated watching Yancy court their target, and wanted his attention on her.

Mauvelous is an enjoyable story in the Aztec Security series. We had met Yancy and Mauve in Inventing the Abbotts, and I've been eagerly anticipating their story ever since. Yancy is a hero, even though Mauve is determined to think the worst of him. I enjoyed their bickering and not-quite hidden attraction for each other. They were a perfect match. I eagerly await the next story.

Rating: 4.0 out of 5
© Kathy Andrico and gottawritenetwork.com

The following review contains spoilers from Mauvelous, Book 2 of the Aztec Security series.

As Aztec Security's newest recruit, Cadence Fleming needed training. She would have liked to have had Yancy Adams train her, in fact, she had thought that they had been starting a relationship. That was until she learned that he had simply been undercover trying to take someone down. Cadence had been crushed to learn that Yancy wasn't truly interested in her, but she was determined to join that same organization and do her part to make the world a better place, even if it meant working with Kent Jameson.

Kent didn't particularly like the idea of having to train Cadence. She was the type of woman he avoided, a smart woman. Too often, they found him someone they could socialize with in private, but ignore in public. Cadence, however, had no qualms of showing her disdain of him. How were they going to be able to work on her training when they couldn't be together more than ten minutes without arguing?

That solution came when someone decided to leave them in a remote area to resolve their differences. And if they manage to not kill each other, they should learn that there was a different undercurrent between them, plus they might be able to prevent a killer from striking again.

Caddy-Did is yet another enjoyable story in Jerri Drennen's Aztec Security series. Although this story does not directly involve a specific case, it was entertaining watching as a new recruit goes through the system. I truly felt for Cadence who had been rather badly used by Yancy in Mauvelous. True, it had been necessary for the case, but that did not ease her pain. I hope that Ms. Drennen continues this series.

Rating: 4.0 out of 5
© Kathy Andrico and gottawritenetwork.com

Dangerous Grounds
By Shelli Stevens
Seattle Steam - Book 1
Samhain Publishing
ISBN: 1-59998-850-X
January 2008
Romantic Suspense

Madison Phillips needed a rebound man. She had recently been dumped by her long time boyfriend, and knew that to get over that, she should just have a rebound relationship. It wasn't something she had done in the past, but she was a new woman, with a new future, and was determined. What made her even more set on her plans was who her conquest would be, her brother Eric's best friend, Gabriel Martinez. Not only was he hot, but he wasn't one for commitment. It made him a perfect choice.

Gabe had absolutely no intention of following up with Madison's plan. She was his best friend's baby sister, and best friends didn't do things like that. But when Madison's new shop, Ooh La Latte, is hit by the Espresso Bandit, Madison's life is put in jeopardy, and Gabe is in the best position to protect her. He would take her into hiding until the bandit was caught, and make sure they both keep their hands to themselves.

Ah, the best laid plans…

Dangerous Grounds was an enjoyable story of opposites attract. Although Gabe had grown up around the Phillips family, he was in a distinctly different social sphere. Madison had decided to open up her espresso shop because she liked espresso, even though she had no idea how to even make the drink. The characters were very likeable, although I wish some of the emotional conflict that was near the end of the story had been brought out and addressed earlier. It seemed misplaced.

Rating: 4.0 out of 5
© Kathy Andrico and gottawritenetwork.com