HIGHLANDER MINE (Clan MacKenzie) by JULIETTE MILLER

Deep in the lush Highlands, a powerful laird with everything to lose must risk it all for the lass who storms into his keep—and his heart.

Raised on the debauched margins of society, Amelia Taylor depends upon her quick wit and fiery spirit to survive. When danger closes in on her already precarious home, she flees into the Highlands and finds refuge in the iron-strong circle of Clan Mackenzie. There, her lack of propriety and intriguing beauty draw the attentions of their formidable leader. But to remain safe from pursuit, she must conceal her identity, even if it means deceiving Laird Knox Mackenzie.

A fiercely guarded and staunchly moral warrior, Knox never expected a ravishing stranger like Amelia to reawaken his desires. Yet as their heated confrontations unlock untold passion, temptation proves impossible to resist. So when Amelia's tapestry of lies begins to unravel, the secrets from her dark past threaten both his Clan and a future they can only dare to dream of….

Though an interesting and pleasing tale, I had difficulty with the book being in first person. As a reader I like to hear all sides of view in my mind.  Amelia is a very strong heroine with a innate sense of family honor, but she is one of those females that needs to be knocked upside the head for being so darn contradicting sometimes that it's a wonder why the very touching hero, Knox falls for her at all. This tale was a fast paced adventure full of deception and redemption. HIGHLANDER MINE by Juliette Miller is a solid tale that I enjoyed. Looking forward to more from this author.

~KIMBERLY~

A KISS OF LIES (THE DISGRACED LORDS SERIES) by BRONWEN EVANS

Thrown out of England for a crime he swears he did not commit, the disfigured by fire, Christian Trent, the Earl of Markham has spent a year in Canada biding his time to return to his homeland and vindicate himself. In the meantime, he has become the guardian to his friend's daughter, when her parents perish in an unfortunate accident. A member of the renowned Libertine Scholars, Christian has friends back in England fighting to clear him name so he can return home.

Lady Serena has been thrust into a disastrous marriage to the sadistic man her father basically sold her to to get out of debt in England. Once Lady Serena and her evil husband are in Virginia, her life drastically declines as she is treated no better than her husbands slaves. One horrific night changes her life forever when she attempts to save herself from her husband's twisted actions and runs from Virginia after striking back and leaving him for dead.

Lady Serena arrives in Canada as the widow Sarah Cooper who applies for the job of being Lord Markham's ward Lily's governess. From the first minute, Christian is shocked that his disfigurement has no effect on the beautiful woman. Most people cringe at the sight of his burnt flesh and flee from his presence, but no Mrs. Cooper. Unbeknownst to Christian, Sarah Cooper is quite familiar with him, for in her other life of Serena, she admired him from afar when he was the catch of the ton and secretly wished he could be hers. It was not to be, but Sarah sees his advertisement as a message from above that is meant to be.

While on the ship returning to England to take back all he has lost, Christian seduces the beautiful widow and unwittingly falls in love with Sarah, but Sarah in no certain terms wishes to ruin her reputation and that of her charge, so the deal with Christian is they have a love affair that ends the minute the ship docks in England. Sarah wants to continue to be Lily's governess, not the Earl of Markham's mistress, and she couldn't possibly be his wife because once her true identity is discovered and the fact that she is a murderess comes to light, she would undoubtedly hang for the crime and has no wish to tarnish the Earl and his ward's names.

Once back in England, danger lurks for both the Earl and the governess with horrible pasts becoming the present and parties involved need a miracle to save them from demise.

I had no idea what to expect from this book when I picked it up as I had never read anything by Bronwen Evans and I was so happy once I read A KISS OF LIES, which is an emotionally charged tale of acceptance and vindication. Miss Evans characters are strong and interesting and I completely felt a kinship to both Christian and Sarah/Serena. A KISS OF LIES by Bronwen Evans is exciting from beginning to end. Wounded hero, Chrisitan Trent truly believes he will be forever alone, and when he meets Sarah he constantly  second guesses whether she is honest about his scars being of no consequence to her. Sarah/Serena on the other hand believes she will never be free of the horrors she endured while with her husband. Gut-wrenching and so well written,  A KISS OF LIES is one of my favorite reads. I highly recommend Bronwen Evans  A KISS OF LIES. 

~KIMBERLY~

SECRETS FOR SEDUCING A ROYAL BODYGUARD ( The Renegade Royals ) by VANESSA KELLY

<

When Aden St. George rescues captive Lady Vivien Shaw from her kidnappers, he has no idea what he is in for with this spunky and inquisitive female. Vivien, to St. George's dismay, asks a lot of questions and formulates her own ideas, albeit mostly the correct ones about the handsome man. The feelings that this rare beauty ignite within Aden St. George throw him for a loop and the need for him to get away from her as fast as possible for fear of his sanity is paramount. Running away from Lady Shaw is not to be though, since Aden is told by his superiors that Lady Vivien needs to be watched at all times until those responsible for her abduction are found.

Vivien doesn't realize all the danger around her and the secrets that must be kept, between her gambling mother and brother who are always in debt and the money-lenders who want payback, her elder brother who would like her married off so she is no longer a burden on his pocketbook, to the unsightly Russian prince,whose reputation for his cruelty puts him in a class all his own.  

Aden tries with all his might to keep the Lady Vivien in his sights, but his disdain for being out in London's public eye hold him back. When his indomitable mother makes attempts to ease her son's way in both his business and personal lives, Aden is confused. Although he has not had the best of relationships with his family, especially his "father",  for Aden knows he is the product of a liaison his mother had with the Prince Regent.

SECRETS FOR SEDUCING A ROYAL BODYGUARD by Vanessa Kelly is a winner in my estimation for so many reasons. First we have the handsome alpha male in Aden St. George with his inner turmoils and his pride and honor and the fearless heroine Vivien who is absolutely unlike any of her class. The excitement and  intrigue with the budding romance only add to this story  The characters like the dishonorable Russian prince and Vivien's brother who I just want to throttle, make this tale quite memorable. Any book that keeps me up until the birds begin chirping at dawn is a winner and this book by the very talented Vanessa Kelly did that for me. An excellent start to a new series, SECRETS FOR SEDUCING A ROYAL BODYGUARD by Vanessa Kelly, is a top pick and I highly recommend it.

~KIMBERLY~

SECRET AGENT SECRETARY (ICE: Black Ops Defenders) by MELISSA CUTLER

ICE secretary, Avery Meadows is obsessed with all things in the cloak and dagger world of spying. The daughter of  pacifists dreams of spy gadgets and guns even having cats named Aston and Martin after James Bond's famous choice of cars. She dreams of taking part in helping solve an international crime and bring down the bad guy, but while her role as a secretary for  ICE brings her the knowledge of some of those crimes, it doesn't get her into the action. That is until she answers the phone late on New Year's Eve.

There is much more than meets the eye to Agent Ryan Reitano. His obsession with bringing crime lord, Enzo Chiara down is the one thing that has kept him going. After placing a phone call to ICE headquarters and asking secretary, Avery a favor, he is confused to find the beauty at the center of the action. Could Avery be a spy? Or is she just in the wrong place at the wrong time? Correction... Is Avery Meadows in the right place at the right time for Ryan Reitano?

Once the lines are drawn, Ryan realizes that he needs to protect Avery with all he has. The secretary with the photographic memory and the spunk to face any danger thrust in her direction has Agent Reitano in awe, but will that be all that is necessary to save them both from Chiara and the double-agent vying to bring the good guys down? Ryan's budding attraction for the sexy contradiction named Avery will either fizzle or ignite and Ryan isn't sure which way he should go. So much is at stake when Chiara gets too close for comfort and Ryan decides that he's rather die than let him get his evil hands on anyone in his family or the sparkling Avery.

SECRET AGENT SECRETARY by Melissa Cutler is the fabulous follow-up to TEMPTED INTO DANGER. The action begins on page one and continues to the very end of this high charged tale of espionage. The attraction between the hero and heroine sizzles from the get-go and the waiting for that climactic moment is part of the excitement. Melissa Cutler has another winner.

~KIMBERLY~

WHEN A LORD NEEDS A LADY by JANE GOODGER

American heiress, Katherine Wright, has been sent overseas to England to catch a titled husband. It isn't her idea. mind you, but her parents'. Katherine accompanies her ailing mother to Brighton and in her boredom decides to dress as a lady's maid so she won't be bothered on the boardwalk.

From his window, Lord Graham Spencer sees the vision of the beauty and seeks her company out. Instead of being forthcoming and telling each other who they in truth are, they concoct false identities, for Katherine would be ruined if she is seen alone out and about and Lord Spencer could never be seen in the company of a maid. Posing as a valet, Graham accompanies the maid around Brighton and they share an eye-opening kiss that neither can get out of their minds.

Both parties involved have an attraction to one another that shines through the deception, but when the truth finally comes out, both parties feel betrayed. Katherine knows in her heart that Graham is the man for her, but Graham is in need of an heiress with more money than Katherine possesses to care for his dilapidated home and the people under his charge and he has the one with the funds in his grasp. Does he want this other heiress though? Can she light the fire that he already holds for Katherine? Ahhhhh the dilemma!

Oh this book, WHEN A LORD NEEDS A LADY by Jane Goodger, brings out such emotion, between wanting to flog both the hero and heroine at any given time or hug them. This tale is a roller coaster of a ride. Katherine and Graham are two very intelligent and capable characters, but stubborn at the same time. Then we have the meddling mamas who add to the mix of emotions and make one glad that in this day and age decisions like the one Graham has to make hopefully don't still exist. Miss Goodger is a very good writer than keeps the reader very interested. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it highly. 

~KIMBERLY~

SHELBY PETRIE'S REVIEW OF ~CONJURE by LEA NOLAN~ (YA)

Conjure follows a 14 year old girl--Emma--who stumbles upon a mysterious curse that ends up sucking her into the world of hoodoo magic to save the lives of both her brother, Jack, and her love interest, Cooper. As the mystery continues to unravel, the reader begins questioning the character's outcome. The magic in Emma's world was detailed enough to keep the reader intrigued and thirsty for more.

I found Emma's voice to be very believable for her youth and the author paid attention to every detail when it came to scenery and the magic that Emma was forced to learn to save those she loves. The romance was innocent and light, which is refreshing for the readers who just want to devour a good story without the gushy scenes getting in the way of the plot.

Overall, I found this to be a very good book and I can't wait to read the next one in the series!

~SHELBY~

ANGEL TO THE RESCUE by PETIE MCCARTY~ REVIEWED BY PAT SHEPPARD ~

Rachel Kelly is a child psychologist very much in love with her Lt. Jake Dillon.  Jake is a police negotiator.  Their lives could not have been more in tune and perfect when Jake asked her to put his name on the mortgage she was about to sign for a little cottage.  But to make things even better, he not only wanted his name on the mortgage, he wanted to make Rachel's last name Dillon instead of Kelly.

Rachel's world just flew out of orbit the day Jake asked her to be his wife.  But more importantly he wanted her to be the mother of the dozen or so children he wanted.  How could the day been more than all one could have hoped for.  Rachel had the man she loved, the home they had chosen and children in the future.  Nothing could ever bring her down out of orbit.  Until they returned home and she got a call from her mother.  That call had Rachel's world down spiraling back to earth.  And her relationship with Jake ending.

Rachel and Jake must see each other living in the same town. As Rachel tries to find her way back to Jake she takes on three new young patients that will again change her life. Jay and Emily ages thirteen are each having problems in their respective homes.  Each problem different from the other but just as harmful.  Neither wants to open up to Rachel.  And then there is Alex, just turning six with the deposition of an older child.  Alex sees and speaks to Angels.  What has she gotten herself into now.  During on session, Alex tells Rachel not to worry because an angel is coming to help.

When a hostage crisis erupts, Rachel and three special children are in the middle of it all. Jake must rescue the one and only woman he loves, stop a crazed man, and keep the children safe and sane.   But unknown to Jake, he has help.  The angels come to the rescue.

I really liked this story.  All the characters were not know in the beginning of the story.  As she unfolded the story she introduced new characters and disclosed what parts they played in the story.  Some are keep at bay until their time to be known and they fit right in place as needed.  This is a story of love, hope, trust and the true belief that if you really with all your heart believe, there is an angel waiting for you to ask for help.  I must ask, how many times have you turned your head because you felt someone watching you, just in time to see a shadow disappear?