DFN Books (Did Not Finish) - Spellbound & Indulgence in Death

Spellbound (Spellbound #1)

by Samantha Combs (Goodreads Author)

Paperback, 292 pages

Published June 14th 2011 by Astraea Press (first published June 13th 2011)

Goodreads synopsis: 

Logan Daniels has always led a sheltered life in sleepy, predictable Lancaster, New Hampshire. But when beautiful Serena suddenly appears at school one day, his comfortable existence becomes anything but as he finds himself falling in love with her. There’s something special about Serena Starr. He realizes what it is when he sees her unleash her spells. Soon, a mysterious and foreboding presence settles over his placid home. 

Logan and Serena find themselves battling darkness and evil with an ominous mission: it wants Serena and will stop at nothing to have her. Tearing apart Logan’s town, threatening his friends, even causing harm to his family, the demon will spread its doom over every facet of Logan’s once placid life. Logan matures in ways he could never have imagined as he struggles to protect those he loves, including Serena. But he can't do it alone. 

Serena hails from a long line of able and powerful women who will aide in the battle and perhaps settle a score of their own. The strength of the coven and Serena's love will be behind him, but ultimately this is Logan’s fight to win. But, will he?

***

I did not rate this book because I rated it DFN (Did not finish). This book was too young, and seemed even younger than its target audience. The first few chapters really put me off this book because of the editing and flow of the text. It was awkward to read and I made it over halfway through the book before I gave up on it. 

I bought this via my iBook bookstore app on my iPod Touch. I definitely would not recommend this book to anyone unless they were tweens or early high school age.

Indulgence in Death (In Death #31)

by J.D. Robb (Goodreads Author)

Hardcover, 373 pages

Published November 2nd 2010 by G.P. Putnam's Sons (first published 2010)

Goodreads synopsis:

An indulgence for readers: the new Eve Dallas novel from the #1 New York Times-bestselling author. 

First it was a limo driver shot through the neck with a crossbow. Then it was a high-priced escort found stabbed through the heart with a bayonet.

Random hits, thrill kills, murderers with a taste for the finer things in life -- and death -- are making NYPSD Lieutenant Eve Dallas angry. And an angry Eve can be just as an efficient and dangerous predator as the killer.

As time runs out on another innocent victim's life, Eve's investigation will take her into the rarefied circle that her husband, Roarke, travels in -- and into the perverted heart of madness...

***

I did not rate this book because I rated it DFN (Did not finish). 

I am usually a big fan of Nora Roberts’s stories but this one left me wanting. I found it slow and it didn’t feel like there was any cohesiveness in the plot. I could not even figure out what the whole point of it all even was. They just jumped around so much. I did enjoy the beginning in Ireland and assume that it must have connected back to the end of the story considering the author went to the trouble of introducing us to Roarke’s family. I made it fairly far into the book, probably three fourths but it was a struggle to read and I was not having fun at all.

Needless to say I do not recommend this : “in Death” book. I hope other books are better than this one.

BOOK REVIEW: Shattered By Alice Sharpe

Shattered (The Rescuers #1)

by Alice Sharpe

Paperback, 288 pages

Published May 20th 2014 by Harlequin (first published January 1st 2014)

ALL HE'D WANTED WAS A REUNION WITH A FRIEND. WHAT HE GOT WAS A NATIONWIDE CONSPIRACY AND A JOB PROTECTING ONE GORGEOUS STRANGER. 

Deputy sheriff Nate Matthews doesn't know what to think when he arrives in Nevada and discovers his friend murdered. He is sure about the beautiful woman pointing a rifle at him. Sarah Donovan is a liar, she may have murdered her father…and she stirs something inside him he can't possibly explain. 

But before they can solve one murder, Nate and Sarah find themselves dodging bullets. Being on the run brings new emotions into focus. After a night of passion in a snowbound cabin, they start closing in on the truth—someone means to strike terror in America's heart….

4 Stars

Nate shows up to a meeting with two old friends but what he discovers is his friend dead in his own house and the man’s daughter hiding out in the house. A snow storm keeps them prisoner inside this house with a dead man. Sarah has her own agenda. She is there to find coins that she can give to her mom who has a bookie on her back but Sarah doesn’t want to tell Nate that. She just wants to get the money and run. But of course, it won’t be as simple as that.

Sarah and Nate uncover a conspiracy that could threaten national security but can they get the word out in time before someone else dies?

Get novel. I loved the beginning of this series. It was suspenseful and made me take a few red herring wonderings before I found the true path of the storyline. Definitely a great read. Check it out.

I paid for this book with my own money.

BOOK REVIEW: Scene of the Crime: Return to Mystic Lake(Scene of the Crime #8) BY CARLA CASSIDY

Scene of the Crime: Return to Mystic Lake(Scene of the Crime #8)

by Carla Cassidy (Goodreads Author)

Paperback, 224 pages

Published April 15th 2014 by Harlequin (first published January 1st 2014)

TWO FBI AGENTS WERE ON A CASE THAT COULD COST THEM THEIR CAREERS—AND THEIR LIVES.

Only a life-and-death mission could make FBI special agent Jackson Revannaugh leave Louisiana for Kansas. But a husband and wife have gone missing in a case with disturbing similarities to an unsolved one, and Jackson's desperate for answers. And the trick is keeping his desire for his new partner from compromising the operation.

Marjorie Clinton knows Jackson's type only too well. But with passion—and the case—heating up, she soon has to trust the Southern charmer with her life. Because someone in this friendly lakeside town is a killer. Someone who's made Marjorie a target and could expose the secret Jackson hoped would stay buried forever.

4 Stars

If you have noticed a theme in my December book selections, you are quite the sharp one. December was Intrigue and Romantic Suspense month. I find that I am drawn to these types of titles. It is my guilty pleasure.

Jackson is from out of town Louisiana, to be exact. And the FBI pulls him off his current case to take the case in Kansas which is very similar to what he had been working on.  Jackson is casual and laid back, he had money and likes food and doesn’t rush to do his job to the detrement of his own health. Marjorie, however, is driven. She has put her entire life on hold to do this job with the FBI. She lets her mother take advantage of her financially while she lives in a tiny house with barely anything inside to make it feel lived in. Jackson and Marjorie are at odds from the very beginning.

The killer continues to evade them and puts them both in danger time and time again. They soon begin to wonder if this killer is even the one they are looking for. Someone has targeted them and it is personal.

This one definitely kept my attention and I sped through it. It is part of a series titled “Scene of the Crime”. Characters can crossover from one book to the next but each main character is different from the previous book in the series. DEFINITELY CHECK THIS SERIES OUT. WORTH THE READ.

I paid for this book with my own money.

BOOK REVIEW: Primal Instinct by Janie Crouch

Primal Instinct

by Janie Crouch (Goodreads Author)

Paperback, 224 pages

Published March 18th 2014 by Harlequin (first published January 1st 2014)

A killer stalks the city streets, and one FBI agent is determined to bring him down in Janie Crouch's Primal Instinct. 

On the crowded streets of San Francisco, a serial killer watches and waits. Known only as "Simon Says," he lures his next victim while the FBI grasps for answers. Desperate, they turn to Adrienne Jeffries. Adrienne has an uncanny talent for getting inside the city's most dangerous minds. But first she'll have to get past FBI agent Conner Perigo. Skeptical of Adrienne's abilities, Conner begrudgingly enlists her help…unprepared for the powerful attraction that could jeopardize their focus. With little time, and everything to lose, they must work to find Simon's next victim—before he does.

4 Stars

Adrienne has a gift. She can see into the mind of a killer. But her visions come at a great price to her health. So when the FBI come a calling asking for her help, she finds that her talents don’t work when she needs them to.

I found the whole concept of this book intriguing and hope that they revisit these characters at a future time. I could see this type of thing becoming a series. I am definitely a fan of this one. This was book two in the Janie Crouch marathon I had in December. Definitely worth it. Check it out if  you loved shows like Unforgettable or The Profiler.

I paid for this book with my own money.

BOOK REVIEW: Miracles Now by Gabrielle Bernstein

Miracles Now: 108 Life-Changing Tools for Less Stress, More Flow, and Finding Your True Purpose

by Gabrielle Bernstein

Hardcover, 255 pages

Published April 8th 2014 by Hay House, Inc.

Goodreads synopsis: Miracles Now by New York Times best-selling author Gabrielle Bernstein will help readers eliminate stress and find peace—even if they only have a minute to spare. Bernstein knows that most of us don’t have time for an hour of yoga or 30 minutes of meditation, so she has hand-picked 108 techniques to combat our most common problems—from addiction and anxiety to burnout and resentment. Inspired by some of the greatest spiritual teachings, Bernstein offers up spirit-based principles, meditations, and practical, do-them-in-the-moment tools to help readers bust through blocks to live with more ease. She breaks down each technique Spirit Junkie style—with meditations, assessment questions, and step-by-step guidance— while incorporating lessons from A Course in Miracles and Kundalini yoga.

   As readers benefit from the techniques they’ll be able to share them. Each practice has been boiled down to a 140-character description—or Miracle Message—which can be tweeted, pinned on Pinterest, posted on Facebook, or shared on Instagram. Each Miracle Message will end with the hashtag #MiraclesNow. Ebook readers can share right from their device.

   Readers familiar with Bernstein’s fun and innovative take on spirituality will scoop up her latest work. And those who are discovering her will appreciate her easy-access approach to spirituality and transformation.

4 Stars

It took me awhile to wade through the 108 tools in this book. The end of each chapter gave you a sentence  you could tweet with the hashtag #miraclesnow.  I found it to be a mishmash of many concepts that have been out there for years but not necessarily all put into one place. 

I enjoyed reading her take on all these tools and how she implemented them into her own life.

If you enjoy self help or law of attraction or Course in Miracles stuff,  you should definitely check this one out. You won’t be disappointed.

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) from NetGalley in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.

BOOK REVIEW: Deadly Contact BY LAURA LACOMBE

Deadly Contact

by Lara Lacombe (Goodreads Author)

Paperback, 288 pages

Published November 5th 2013 by Harlequin (first published January 1st 2013)

Goodreads synopsis: It's a race against time -- and a fatal outbreak -- in this thriller of a debut! — In one passionate night Special Agent James Reynolds and scientist Kelly Jarvis went from friends to lovers. Then Kelly walked away with only an apology. Now James is charged with solving a bio-terrorist attack -- and Dr. Jarvis works at the suspected lab. — Is Kelly an accomplice or a victim? Just what are her secrets that drove her from James's bed? Soon one thing becomes clear: The ghosts of her past have nothing on the terrorists targeting her and Washington, D.C. Another threat bathes the city in red alert, and now there are lives at stake, in addition to hearts.... 

4 Stars

Kelly has some old emotional wounds and when she gets to delve into a relationship with James, she balks. She gets out before she gets invested in him. Now James is back in her world. The lab she works at is suspected of handing over a virus to a bio-terrorist and now Kelly is a suspect. 

I enjoyed the back and forth between the characters and sometimes just wanted to knock one of them over the head and tell them to get over it and  move on.

But this was a great romantic suspense and definitely worth your money.

I paid for this book with my own money.

BOOK REVIEW: Countermeasures (Omega Sector #2) BY JANIE CROUCH

Countermeasures (Omega Sector #2)

by Janie Crouch (Goodreads Author)

Paperback, 224 pages

Published January 20th 2015 by Harlequin

THE CLOCK WAS TICKING, THE ENEMY WAS WATCHING… 

At first it looked like a glorified babysitting job: safeguard a scientist while she created a countermeasure to neutralize a dangerous weapon that had fallen into the wrong hands. But when Dr. Megan Fuller's life was threatened, undercover agent Sawyer Branson knew the enemy was closing in. Sticking by Megan 24/7 wasn't something he took lightly, even if Megan didn't seem to appreciate his constant presence. For a man used to getting any woman he wanted, Megan was a challenge he was coming to enjoy. Because beneath her boxy lab coat and pinned-back hair lay a brilliant and beautiful warrior. And before long, Sawyer's determination to save the world was matched only by the sudden need to make Megan his.

4 Stars

I enjoyed this romantic suspense novel. I particularly liked the chemistry between Megan and Sawyer. They were aggravated with each other most of the time and each had such a hard head

Megan’s company had created a weapon that some bad dudes wanted access to. It was actually created to be a weapon but it could be used that way. She was a bit gun shy working with the government since the FBI guy who had been assigned to work with her in the beginning ended up stealing this weapon from under the nose of the government. Megan’s company had been working on a countermeasure to combat the effects of it but stopped working on it when the government took the original copy and then lost it. Now the government is back and wants Megan to continue working on this countermeasure. But first they have to recreate it. They luckily had a prototype available with which to work. Sawyer is there to protect Megan and the countermeasure but someone wants it before they had it back over to the government. The suspense was great and it made me want to search out other Janie Crouch books.

I paid for this book with my own money.