romance

Free and bargain books August 28, 2022

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This has been a fruitful browsing day and I’m thrilled. It started with a FREE suggestion from BookRunes. This is book 2 in the series, we read and enjoyed book 1 back in January.

Songs of the Heart: Beach House Romance (Three Sisters Resort Book 2)

Sue Wright finds love, but life is determined to prevent her from keeping it.

Sue is a hardnosed woman who knows what she wants and has no time for games. But after she and her sisters take over the Emerald Resort, she is confronted by the one man capable of melting that harsh exterior and changing her life forever.

Sue dives in, reckless and eager to experience those things she has long denied herself. But not everyone is happy. Jealousy soon rears its ugly head, forcing Sue to stand up for herself and her new love. She must push back with everything she has if there is any chance of keeping her relationship alive, but not even the support of her sisters may be enough.

Sue soon questions if he is the one for her. If he is, how far will she go to keep him?

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The next two showed up while browsing. Yes!

The Memory House

The inspirational story of two women whose lives have been destroyed by disaster but find healing in a special house.

When Beck Holiday lost her father in the North Tower on 9/11, she also lost her memories of him. Eighteen years later, she’s a tough New York City cop burdened with a damaging secret, suspended for misconduct, and struggling to get her life in order.

When a mysterious letter arrives informing Beck that she’s inherited a house along Florida’s northern coast, she discovers something there that will change her life forever. Matters of the heart only become more complicated when she runs into handsome Bruno Endicott, a sports agent who has never forgotten their connection as teenagers. But Beck can’t even remember him.

Decades earlier, widow Everleigh Applegate lives a steady, uneventful life with her widowed mother after a tornado ripped through Waco, Texas, and destroyed her new, young married life. When she runs into her former high school friend Don Callahan, she begins to yearn for change. Yet no matter how much she longs to love again, she is hindered by a secret she can never share.

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Sealed with a Christmas Promise: A K-9 Romantic Suspense (Called To Protect Book 7)

After months of searching, former SEAL turned cop Bryce Flynn and his K9, Kirby, has finally found Callie Burgess. He needs to question her about her former boyfriend, a member of the Desert Death Rays motorcycle gang, who was recently murdered. But when shots are fired through the window of the diner where she’s working, he realizes she’s in danger too.

After being betrayed by a police officer in the past, Callie doesn’t trust cops. But when a gunman comes after her, she has little choice but to accept Bryce’s promise to protect her. Her life is in shambles—no money, no job, no place to live. The only redeeming factors are the stray puppy she’s found and Bryce himself.

As the Christmas holiday approaches, will Bryce keep Callie safe and convince her to give love a chance?

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It has been a good book day. There may even be more, I’m still trying to decide.

I’ll be back.

In the meantime . . .

Happy Reading

Short and sweet August 26, 2022

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No new books today. But it’s Friday so that makes up for the disappointment.

I’m enjoying the current read more than I expected. It isn’t intense like the murder mystery but the characters have depth and their interactions are meaningful. Some of the situations and discussions are thought provoking. I think it’s fair to say there is a point to the interactions and it’s not a bad one. They are gradually allowing new perspectives in their long held habits and opinions and that is always a good thing.

There was an exciting birthing scene where they had to help a new mother-to-be who was in trouble. Her calf was in a bad position and it was touch and go on whether they could help her push out this big baby. Quite the experience for a citified music teacher. In her defense, it was all new but she took it in stride and did an excellent job as assistant to the impromptu “vet”.

It’s amazing how an experience like that can change our outlook on life.

I thought I might finish reading this book tonight but I’m not sure I can stay awake long enough.

My oldest grandson is leaving for college in the morning so we had a going-away/send-off party for him tonight. The backyard party was fun and travelling into the city wasn’t too bad except there was more traffic on the highway than usual. Although I guess, not really for this time of year. Summer is quickly coming to an end and people are making the most of it.

Here is the book, nearly finished.

The male main character is a reluctantly retired farmer who is frustrated because his heart condition does not allow him to work as hard as he wants to.

The female lead character is teaching his grand daughter piano. The student is as frustrated as he is because she wants to be in the barn with her animals, not trying to make pleasing sounds come from a piano.

Grandpa listens intently to the lessons while he is waiting for the lesson to be over. He is picking up the skill much faster than the pupil.

This guy reminds me of a landlord we had once. In his sixties, taking piano lessons for the first time and loving it.

Look at the time, must go.

Happy Reading folks.

Bargain books August 25, 2022

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We have two bargain books tonight. One I’ve read and enjoyed. The second is new to me but the author I’ve read. They both were suggested by 1531 Entertainment.

Returning to Eden (Acts of Valor, Book 1): Christian Romantic Suspense 

A dead man stands on her doorstep.

When the Navy wrote off her MIA husband as dead, Eden came to terms with being a widow. But now, her Navy SEAL husband is staring her in the face. Eden knows she should be over-the-moon, but she isn’t.

Diagnosed with PTSD and amnesia, Navy SEAL Jonah Mills has no recollection of their fractured marriage, no memory of Eden nor her fourteen-year-old daughter. Still, he feels a connection to both.

Unfit for active duty and assigned to therapy, Jonah knows he has work to do and relies on God, who sustained him during captivity, to heal his mind, body, and hopefully his family.

But as the memories lurking in his wife’s haunted eyes and behind his daughter’s uncertain smile begin to return to him, Jonah makes another discovery. There is treachery in the highest ranks of his Team, treachery that not only threatens him but places his new-found family in its crosshairs.

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Heart Transformed

Imprisoned by their past mistakes, can love break the chains of shame?
Expected to follow in her father’s footsteps as a successful lawyer, Genevieve Trehearn’s world is turned upside down when she finds herself behind bars with a criminal record slapped against her name. Having rebelled against the wishes of her family, Genevieve is suddenly alone – disowned by her wealthy parents and those whom she considered to be her closest friends. With her once pretentious life reduced to the four walls of a prison cell, Genevieve must face the mistakes of her shameful past and plan for a new future.

David Molineaux is the owner of ‘Elevation Adventures’, an outdoor adventure company that also works with at-risk kids, providing opportunities for them to learn new skills and develop new friendships. He loves nothing better than to spend time outdoors with his Creator and encouraging others to do the same. But David is also hiding scars from his past. And when he is asked to provide adventure opportunities to ex-prisoners, he is worried his past will catch up with him and destroy his business. When Genevieve and David’s worlds collide, fear of the past threatens to destroy a promising future. Can the shame from their pasts be overcome? Or will the burden from past mistakes be too heavy to bear?

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I started another new book today. Quite a departure from the murder and mayhem of the last book, which turned out to be nothing like what I expected. It was good though.

The Duet

When widower Gerrit Appeldoorn takes his granddaughter to piano lessons one day, he finds himself drawn to her music teacher, a woman unlike any he has known. It’s an unlikely attraction. He’s a retired dairyman with mud on his boots; Joan Horton is a world traveler and former piano instructor at New York’s prestigious academy of music. Not quite “beauty and the beast,” but close.

Even so, Gerrit slowly begins to open his heart to Joan, to music, and to the possibilities that may be found in both. Yet as their relationship deepens, Gerrit faces crises concerning his family and farm, and Joan confronts a dark secret that threatens her future. While coping with these challenges, neither can predict how their duet will sound as they practice the music of renewed hope and second chances.

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I think this one will be good too.

What are you reading? Is it good? Share if you care to, we would love to hear about it.

Happy Reading!

This and that kind of day – August 24, 2022

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It’s been pretty quiet today on the book suggestion front. That means I have to wrack my brain for something to say tonight. All the good blog ideas happened this morning, but that was then and this is now. I saw a fitting meme this week. the lie I tell myself – I’ll remember, I don’t need to write it down. Yup.

So last night I told you about the book I had just started and how the main character, an experienced diver with no equipment, went after the pilot in the helicopter that just crashed in the ocean. Crazy man. Everyone made it to the surface but the pilot. Our hero did make it back in one piece but without the pilot who couldn’t be found. It turns out this diver guy was really good at holding his breathe and had a little bit of crazy in him when it came to rescuing people.

I’m 3/4 of the way through and it turns out the death they were called to investigate on the deep sea oil-rig platform was a murder. And their crashed helicopter was sabotaged. I’m going to have to keep reading to see who is responsible. Bad things are happening in too many places to have a good handle of who is behind it all. It could all be coming from one source but then again maybe not. It’s hard to see a connection at the moment. It isn’t looking good for a few people though.

Mounting evidence shows the death may not have been an accident at all. Was he killed by one of the activists or, perhaps more frighteningly, a member of his own crew? Rissi and Mason have to sort through not only a plethora of suspects, but also their own past and attraction to each other.

Just as the case seems like it’ll break open, worse news arrives. A tropical storm has turned their way and soon they’re cut off from any rescue–and right where the killer wants them. It’s a race to discover his identity before he eliminates the threat they pose.

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The other thing I have going on these days is a jig-saw puzzle started a week ago when my kids were here. We didn’t get very far on it before they had to leave and I promised to finish it.

The thing about this puzzle is there is a murder to solve. We had to read the included mystery story first. A winery owner has been talked into taking on a partner to help him save his floundering business. We suspect the partner is a swindler and is set on destroying the business for some unknown reason. The swindler’s wife has painted a dark picture of her husband and has become romantically involved with the owner when he feels sorry for her. That’s the very short version of the story.

A dead body shows up in the winery and we are supposed to look for clues to figure out who did it.

The clues are in the puzzle and to see them we must complete it first. The challenge is, we have no idea what the puzzle looks like, the picture on the box is unrelated.

Needless to say, I’m taking long reading breaks in between puzzle moments. Headway is slow. At least it is happening though so that is encouraging.

I’ll let you know how it goes. In both murder mysteries.

Happy Reading y’all.

A new read tonight August 23, 2022

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Last night’s read is done. It must have been pretty good because I stuck with it until the very last page. Didn’t get a whole lot of sleep. There was a time when I could read the night away and still function in the morning. Those days are long gone. I guess I won’t be doing that again tonight.

I could be tempted though. This new story is just getting good.

The Crushing Depths (Coastal Guardians Book #2) 

When an accident claims the life of an oil-rig worker on the first drilling platform off the North Carolina coast, Coast Guard investigators Rissi Dawson and Mason Rogers are sent to take the case. Tensions surrounding the oil rig are high and the death has everyone on edge. Environmental activists are threatening to do whatever it takes to stop the structure from being completed, while rumors are being whispered about ancient curses surrounding this part of the ocean.

Mounting evidence shows the death may not have been an accident at all. Was he killed by one of the activists or, perhaps more frighteningly, a member of his own crew? Rissi and Mason have to sort through not only a plethora of suspects, but also their own past and attraction to each other.

Just as the case seems like it’ll break open, worse news arrives. A tropical storm has turned their way and soon they’re cut off from any rescue–and right where the killer wants them. It’s a race to discover his identity before he eliminates the threat they pose.

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It seems I read and enjoyed book 1 in this series a year ago.

The Killing Tide (Coastal Guardians Book #1)

When one Coast Guard officer is found dead and another goes missing, Coast Guard Investigative Service special agent Finn Walker faces his most dangerous crime yet. His only clues are what little evidence remains aboard the dead officer’s boat, and the direction the clues point to will test Finn and the Guard to their limits.

When investigative reporter–and Finn’s boss’s sister–Gabby Rowley arrives, her unrelenting questions complicate an already volatile situation. Now that she’s back, the tug on Finn’s heart is strong, but with the risks she’s taking for her next big story, he fears she might not live through it.

Thrown together by the heinous crime, Finn and Gabby can’t ignore the sparks or judgments flying between them. But will they be able to see past their preconceptions long enough to track down an elusive killer, or will they become his next mark?

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The usual suggestion emails did show up today but there was nothing that I found enticing. Maybe tomorrow.

So back to my new read. It’s at an exciting part. Their team has been called out to an oil drilling platform to investigate a crew member’s death. They are almost there when there is a loud noise and their helicopter goes down in the ocean. They managed to escape and make it to the surface. All except the pilot who was thrown out a window.

Mason is a deep sea diver, with no equipment, and he is going back down to find him. Crazy man

I need to see if he makes it.

I’m pretty sure he will be back, whether he has the pilot with him or not is less sure.

I’m pretty sure because, let’s face it, main characters rarely don’t make it back. Not this early in the story.

He may get beat to a pulp, maybe even have to be rescued but, he will be back.

I’ll let you know how it goes.

Happy Reading!

You could read along and see for yourself.

Free books August 22, 2022

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BookBub has a FREE suggestion for us this time. It could be good. I’m not sure, but the price is right to give it a try.

Even Forever: A Clean Western Romance (Boulder Creek Romance Book 1)

The last thing Rosalie Tomkin wants is another man trying to control her life.

Rosalie’s abusive jailbird father and her ne’er-do-well brother have cured her of that. Not even the wealthy visitor staying in her beleaguered mother’s boarding house can tempt her. She plans to leave Boulder Creek as soon as she can scrape together the funds to do so, and when she does, she won’t ever look back.

Michael Randolph is in a high-stakes competition for the family business and intends to beat his half-brother, no matter what. So when an innocent encounter with Rosalie threatens to cost him everything he hopes to achieve, he’s willing to pay the price demanded by her no-good father. Even if it means marrying a damsel in distress.

Strangers placed in an impossible position, Michael and Rosalie can agree on one thing. Neither of them wants to stay together any longer than they must. What they don’t know is that fate might have a better future in store for them than either could imagine.

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LPC Free Books has a FREE suggestion for us (they aren’t always free.) I’ve read other books by this author but I don’t believe I’ve read this one. Unless it was in a collection somewhere. It does sound a little familiar. I’ll give it a shot and see.

Mountain Man (Finding Love in the Blue Ridge Mountains Book 2) 

A “Briskin” had dared to trespass on forbidden Maxwell land—and that spells trouble.

Meera Briskin is determined to find out for herself whether the Maxwells are the unmitigated rogues she has been taught to hate. The long-standing feud between the two families that began three generations ago—the result of a chestnut tree blight brought in from the Far East—is still very much alive.

Posing as a participant at a writers’ conference held at the famous Chestnut Lodge, run by none other than Elliot Maxwell, Meera soon is caught in the web of her own deception. Should she admit to being a Briskin and face immediate expulsion? Or should she linger, knowing that with each passing day that her feelings for her enemy grow stronger?

There’s madness in these mountains—and in the heart of one Briskin daughter.

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I’m moving on to the next read. This is my second try to find something to hold my attention. The first one was WWII era, I have read too many of them and find it’s not easy to engage anymore.

I think I’ll try a mystery instead.

Wow, it’s been on my list since April 2021, how did that happen? I’m guessing there were other Lyn Cote books in the recently read pile and I needed a change

Spring’s Storm: Clean Romance Mystery (Northern Intrigue Book 6) 

Thea’s new next door neighbor turns her small town and her life upside down.

Trace is handsome, successful and committed to helping others. He’s a mover and shaker. She’s a quiet piano teacher. Yet opposites attract, don’t they?

Bad things begin happening on Trace’s property and troublemakers compete with each other to stop him in his mission to provide a new place for kids.

All the while Thea is caught in the middle–between the people she’s known all her life and this new man in town. When and how will the nastiness end? And will it end before someone gets hurt? Badly?

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Supper is sounding really good right about now.

Supper and a good book.

Happy Reading y’all

Free book suggestion August 21, 2022

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BookRunes has a FREE suggestion for us by a man I have never read. It seems I downloaded but didn’t read two of his Young Adult stories in 2013. This one is adult fiction although I see by his booklist he has written extensively for children and teens.

The first few pages of today’s book caught my interest so I’m looking forward to this read.

Men writing romance novels seems like an oxymoron to me and curiosity has me wondering what it will be like. I’ve read a few over the years and so far they have been a pleasant surprise. I expect this will be as well.

When I stop and think about it, many of my favorite authors over the decades have had a romantic element in their stories and I didn’t think twice about it. Must be I’ve gradually become jaded by contemplation of life’s experiences. I look forward to it anyway.

The Duet

Four hands. Two hearts. One song.

When widower Gerrit Appeldoorn takes his granddaughter to piano lessons one day, he finds himself drawn to her music teacher, a woman unlike any he has known. It’s an unlikely attraction. He’s a retired dairyman with mud on his boots; Joan Horton is a world traveler and former piano instructor at New York’s prestigious academy of music. Not quite “beauty and the beast,” but close.

Even so, Gerrit slowly begins to open his heart to Joan, to music, and to the possibilities that may be found in both. Yet as their relationship deepens, Gerrit faces crises concerning his family and farm, and Joan confronts a dark secret that threatens her future. While coping with these challenges, neither can predict how their duet will sound as they practice the music of renewed hope and second chances.

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Last night I was trying to pick a new read and had three possibles. I settled on the Regency Romantic Suspense and it turned out to be a good choice. It has the perfect blend (in my estimation) with the suspense element being the stronger of the two. Two thirds of the way through and I’m still loving it.

A Perilous Plan: A Regency Romantic Suspense (Imperiled Young Widows Book 1)

Penelope Hammond finds herself a widow at the age of twenty-three, having been married five years to a man she barely knew. Her husband, David Hammond, Lord Hampstead, was a member of the House of Lords who rarely said more than a few words to her in a week’s time–and often did not come home at night.

Henry Gilchrist seems to know more about her husband than she does–that he was unfaithful to her with a young Frenchwoman who Penelope thought was her friend, that his gambling problem had sunk him deeply in debt, and that he had stolen some very important plans that could put the entire country in danger. And now both the French and the English governments think she knows where these plans are.

Penelope had no idea that her husband stole secret plans and intended to sell to the French, but no one seems to believe her, except Henry Gilchrist. When she starts to fall in love with the handsome young Member of the House of Commons, will he be too embittered from a former lost love to accept his own growing feelings? But first they must save themselves from those who would do them harm, or there will be no future for them, either together or apart.

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It has been a good book day. A good reading day too.

Happy Reading y’all

Bargain book August 20, 2022

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The way things were going I didn’t expect to find any new books today. This Lisa Phillips mystery is a nice surprise. Here I thought I was going to have to resort to a this and that post and I’ve been wracking my brain for something to say. Saved by the bell, I mean, book.

Hunted 

When zoologist Elise Tanner is brought home to re-open a zoo destroyed by flood, she takes on more than she bargained for. This single mom is determined to set up her son Chase for his future, but the cost might prove too high when she runs into the last man she wants to see again.

US Marshal Jonah Rivers is the head of a Fugitive Apprehension Task Force hunting Elise’s brother. When a threat brings them together, both Elise and Jonah must contend with their shared past. There isn’t a moment of his life she wasn’t a part of…until she married his brother. Connected by grief and the betrayal of his family, the future they want is just out of reach.

Torn apart, life has brought them back together.

Jonah will protect Elise and his nephew while his team works to figure out who is targeting her, as long as his feelings don’t cloud his judgment. Locating her brother is the key piece to this puzzle, the answer to discovering who is behind illegal animal trading. Until an old friend proves more deadly than they ever imagined. But can they protect their hearts?

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That’s all that came up in the search. It’s not like I need more, I just always want more.

I’m investigating the choice for next read after skimming through a dissatisfying romance (all cotton candy, no meat and potatoes) so that didn’t last long. There is no clear winner, so far, on what’s next. So many choices.

Here are three possibles.

Decisions, decisions.

I’ve started the first one A Perilous Plan, let’s see how that turns out. So far so good, there is hope.

I’ll let you know later how it goes.

Happy Reading

Book of the month? August 19, 2022

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I think it is. This book stood out for me, way above the rest of this months reads. I love it when that happens.

A well crafted story is what did it for me this time. The relatable characters were fully developed and interesting. From beginning to end the tale was engaging. But the biggest reason, aside from the plot, was the slow reveal of a complex story. The unforeseen twists and turns continued right to the very last page.

It doesn’t get any better than that.

Nothing is ever perfect though and one scene did rankle. There was an altercation with life threatening injuries but the outcome was barely mentioned. The story just stepped over the body and kept moving on. We, the readers, were left stuck at that spot needing resolution of some sort. The incident was briefly mentioned later but it came across as an after-thought.

In a way I can see why it was left hanging like it was. More time given to the who and why of the incident could have taken the story down an unwanted rabbit trail. The event did clear up an aspect of the mystery and was needed for that but . . .

I can see the issue but have no thoughts on how it could have been handled any better.

In spite of that blip, I loved the book. Well done.

A Midnight Dance 

“Politano writes beautifully, evoking the magic of ballet and the theater from the opening turns to the final curtain, leaving readers applauding for an encore.”–Booklist starred review

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All theater romances are tragedies. Ella Blythe knows this. Still, she cannot help but hope her own story may turn out different than most–and certainly different than the tragic story of the Ghost of Craven Street Theater. Yet as she struggles to maintain her tenuous place in the ever-shrinking ballet company, win the attentions of principal dancer Philippe, and avoid company flirt Jack, Ella cannot deny the uncanny feeling that her life is mirroring that of the dead ballerina.

Is she dancing ever closer to the edge of her own tragic end? Or will the secrets that are about to come to light offer release from the past?

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Usually I open a new book the minute a last page is read.

Out of respect, this beloved book needed to be savored for a while.

Morning might be soon enough to move on.

Or not.

I doubt I can wait that long.

I’ll check out today’s book suggestions while I’m waiting and reassess later.

I’ll let you know how it goes.

Bargain books August 16, 2022

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Two books, but two is better than none.

Christy Barritt is one of my favorite authors and boy is she prolific. It looks like she has written over two hundred books and she’s sold over three million. Impressive.

I’m not sure how I didn’t know about this new book but I do now. It’s the beginning of another new series.

Bound by Murder (Beach Bound Books and Beans Mysteries Book 1) 

When widow Talitha Robinson buys an old store on the boardwalk in Lantern Beach, North Carolina, she’s in for a surprise . . . or several. She plans to renovate the space and open Beach Bound Books and Beans, but never expects to find a decades-old skeleton hidden inside one of the walls.

As word of the discovery spreads across the island, strange occurrences begin to occur around her. It soon becomes clear someone still knows something about the dead person—something they don’t want discovered.

Thankfully, former police chief and current mayor Mac MacArthur seems just as eager to unravel the mystery behind the skeletal remains as Tali. But as the two bind together to solve the case, a devastating secret is revealed.

Will their newfound friendship come unglued before they find the answers to the past? Or will their blooming relationship die like the man hidden in the wall?

Bound by Murder is book 1 in a four book series of novellas. Though the main mystery is resolved, there are threads that will continue throughout the entire series.

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I have read and enjoyed this next author too, just not as many times.

Strike Force (Courage Under Fire Book 1)

Out of the ashes of defeat comes a brand new mission.

Who will survive?

Forced to change their names just to survive, Former CIA Agents Piper Morgan and Reed Decklin fled the frozen tundra of Alaska to take refuge in the mountains of Wyoming.

With their new identities in place, Sidney Morgan and Kaiden Bennett join the recently-formed Strike Force in order to bring down the deadly terrorist team known only as Legion. But how can you win against an enemy that will stop at nothing to fulfill its deadly plot?

The one good thing to come out of the attack in Alaska was Sidney and Kaiden found each other again. As their love grows stronger, nothing prepares them or the team for the magnitude of Legion’s plan, or how far up the command chain Legion’s reach truly goes. Even to some of the highest offices of government.

In this sequel to the USA Today Bestselling story, Storm Warnings, the Strike Force team is determined to finish the mission that started two years earlier in the deserts of Afghanistan with the deaths of Sidney’s entire CIA unit.

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This was fun tonight. A no-pressure relaxed time to browse was very nice. It makes me want to do it again soon. Hopefully.

In the meantime . . .

Happy Reading