GRR Reviews Accidental Shield by Nicole Snow

Flint, single father, just found himself hosting an amnesiac woman... and lying to her about her being his wife. But Valerie has amnesia because she almost died in an explosion that blew up her boat. Telling her the whole truth would just make her panic. So Flint, ex-navy SEAL, now retired security specialist, is doing one more job with his partner, Doc Cash, to bring down the bad guys that almost killed Valerie. They've tangled with the same group of bad guys before, and it's a good time to even the score. And by all evidence, it seems her "evil" brother may be involved... But how will Flint handle being "fake married" to Valerie? What happens when she found out she wasn't?

Interesting take on "marriage mistake", proves that you *can* create something new by remixing old tropes. 5/5

GRR Reviews Fractured by Lori Sjoberg

Carter was a good soldier, but when he felt he was losing his soul, he got out and returned to his family farm and equestrian center.  Meeting Amy, the new horse trainer, was a shock, but he sensed that she has a secret vulnerability that she was not ready to share... // Amy changed her name and looks and left everything behind after she was acquitted of her husband's murder. Her brother-in-law publicly announced there's a miscarriage of justice, with EVERYTHING left to her. The only thing she has left was her love of horses. And she doesn't need Carter... to mess things up. But when her past came back to haunt her, can Carter protect her?

Good mystery, a good twist on hidden identity and protector. The ending is also handled quite nicely. Although I don't see how the bad guy plans to get away with... whatever he was doing at the end. Of course, she still needs saving, but that's kinda beside the point. 4.5/5

GRR Security Risk by Megan Matthews

Tabitha left her old life behind to start over in Pelican Bay, by borrowing a bit of her abusive ex-boyfriend's cash, not that she plan to spend it all. She inherited a house from her aunt in the town, and meeting her hunky but gruff neighbor, Ridge, was... nice, as are her other neighbors. But why is her ex Mario chasing her down by sending in his scary lieutenant? Where are the diamonds they keep insisting she took with her? Will she live through it?

Uh, hate to say this, but this book smells like amateur writing. Tabitha fell for the first handsome guy she saw despite surviving years of abuse. She couldn't recognize a mafia front despite lived years next to it (and happen to have couple hundred thousand lying around in CASH) and basically has too many TSTL moments to count. Oh, and Ridge? Total caricature of a security guy. 2/5

GRR Reviews Someone to Watch over Me by Iris Morland

Seth is back home from Middle East, but he had lost his best friend there, and he felt lost without a direction in life. He met his neighbor Rose, and was intrigued by the headstrong beauty, but when she greeted her at night with a gun, it's clear she needed help, and refused to admit it. // Rose fled Seattle and her evil ex Johnny, but it's clear he's not done with her. She had made a bargain with the devil (Johnny) to save her brother and he's out to collect. She almost had enough money to pay Johnny off, and Seth's help is appreciated, but she'll do things her own way, esp. when she's still ashamed for what Johnny took from her...

On one hand, I want to like the main characters. Rose is reasonably conflicted, and Seth is reasonably wounded. On the other hand, Rose is so f***ing naive, I was basically screaming "No you idiot!". She apparently never considered the angle... Maybe her brother's being framed for drugs was orchestrated by Johnny just so he can get his hands on her. That's frustrating to read, and what's the point of getting a gun if she's not willing to use it when it matters? (She never actually got to use it)  3/5

GRR Reviews Lawfully Brave by Jo Grafford

Sergeant Luke and his K-9 Hellion are on their way home for leave when he heard the amber alert. The town needs volunteers to find a missing boy. It also happens that a woman next to him, Coco, is also responding to the same crisis. She's a veterinarian and started her own volunteer K9 search and rescue team... except her team has never done a real search and rescue before. Luke and Hellion are experienced, and they are definitely joining the search, if only to keep Coco out of trouble... But the more they search, the more questionable circumstances they find. Who is the deputy's cousin? Is there a drug cartel connection? Will they find the boy alive?

Good adventure and twists in romantic suspense, good bonding experience. There is a character arc for Coco, but didn't feel it much. 4/5

GRR reviews Meet Me at Sunrise by Lucinda Whitney

Vanessa just learned that she has a grandpa she never knew about... in Europe, and he is VERY rich. Angry with her father for keeping secrets her entire life, and trying to get over a breakup, she left for Europe on a river cruise, escorted by none other than ship's captain, Matias Romano. She was not looking for love. // Matias is the captain of a ship with a jillion details to oversee, and has no time to babysit a "princess", but when his boss asked, he can only answer "yessir". But Vanessa turned out to be NOT a princess at all, but an EMT that helped a guest through a medical emergency. And when the ship started to suffer mysterious malfunctions, she may be the only one he can trust to get to the bottom of it all...

Good mystery and "wrong expectations", good mix of different characters. 4/5

GRR Reviews Don't Fall for a Fugitive by Cami Checketts

Hazel, a British photographer, accompanied a friend to the US for some deluxe accommodations and a chance to photograph some majestic mountains in the winter. Being witness to murder wasn't in her plans... nor was running for her life, or stowing away on the jet of millionaire Heath Strong. // Heath was surprised to find Hazel on his aircraft, but his instinct was to protect her, as the pursuer, Brigham, is a well-known shady guy with ties to the mob. If Brigham said Hazel killed his cousin, chances are Brigham killed his cousin and tried to frame Hazel. But can he justify putting his own family at risk? And how would he hide Hazel under the nose of his (quite large) family?

Nice tight plot. But there are a couple technical details that made no sense. 1) How high would a staircase be in a HANGAR's office, that Hazel could have watched from a nearby aircraft, and caused nearly-fatal injuries? And 2) They called various numbers (including 911?) using regular cell phones while on a private jet flying to Colorado...  The action ending isn't that bad. 4/5

GRR Reviews her Billionaire Pirate of the Cove by Stephanie Fowers

Audrey does not want to pretend to be her friend Clara to take a job pampering dogs of an ultra-rich and eccentric aunt in the Cove. But when she found an intruder in her house and the entire place tossed, she barely escaped. It seems her brother Michael may have made enemies, and suddenly hiding out in the Cove, surrounded by security, seems to be a brilliant idea... // Ryker is hiding at his brother's place in the Cove after testifying in court that put his conspirators behind bars. He knew he kept questionable company, but that should all be behind him, except for his CIA handler that is still hovering.  When matchmakers tried to pair him up with "Clara" (actually Audrey), he's interested, but when enemies found them in the Cove, and mix in rogue agents, turncoats, mercenaries, terrorists, business rival, lost princess, secret origins, and spycraft, it seems both will be on an adventure of a lifetime... if they survive it.

I know it's supposed to be a spy thriller of sorts, but it feels at times like a comedy, with people prone to more slapstick than seriousness. Add in some Hollywood stunts like "throw her off the boat, only to have her met by scuba divers with oxygen masks underwater". That's not something a normal person would know what to do, is it? There are certainly good twists and turns, and I guess that sort of forced proximity and adrenaline rush can be good for bonding, but it just doesn't feel that romantic. Not to mention that ocean water near Seattle is not that warm to be scuba-dived. 3.5/5

GRR Reviews Her Billionaire Butler by Dobi Daniels

Emily has survived abuse and heartbreak. She's getting by, but barely. When her moment of weakness to help a friend ended up costing her job, then her landlord informed her that she has to vacate ASAP, she literally can't go any lower... Until she met the guy who was the cause of it all... // Geoffrey is the family butler for the billionaire Dexington family and well-to-do himself, and he was getting a special item for the family when a woman slipped and ended up tossing the coffee all over the item and him... as well as accidentally kneed him in the groin. But he didn't know she'd lose her job over this. So when she applied for a position over at his Christmas tree farm, he made sure she got the position (and she is qualified). And it seems despite the initial animosity, they really have a lot in common... but can he learn her secrets in time to save her?

The threat seems to come really late and wasn't integrated well. 3.5/5

GRR Reviews Say It Again by Catherine Bybee

Sasha was trained by Richter School to be the best in all forms of combat... but her own origins were hazy that she sought answers. // AJ was also looking for answers... His sister, also graduates of Richter, is dead, as are SEVERAL of the ex-students. And he fears that Sasha may be next. They agree to look for answers together, and their own passions... must be denied, at least temporarily. For the past they dug up are secrets decades old, and may yet bury them...

Interesting background, trying to mix in a bit of Salt and Le Femme Nikita into romantic suspense and adventure.  4.5/5

GRR Reviews Make-Believe Honeymoon by Vivi Holt

Callum, ex-SEAL, is now a private investigator. He needs to investigate a case where a billionaire with biological children died and left EVERYTHING to his step-son. When this step-son booked a cabin on a Honeymoon cruise with a wife, he needs to get onboard... Which means finding a fake wife ASAP. // Jessie, single mother and former beat cop, is moving home after her husband (a fellow cop) was gunned down by corrupt cops. She chose to start over as private investigator, and it seems her first assignment will be a pretend-wife to Callum on a cruise. She's definitely not ready for love, and definitely not with her boss. But with the magic of the Caribbean cruise, who knows what will happen, even as they try to uncover a nefarious plot?

I saw the ending long before the actual end, but it was done well nonetheless. There are just too many points of mystery and suspicious behavior and there can be only one conclusion. It was also pretty ingenious to mix it with a fake marriage trope. 4/5

GRR Reviews That Unforgettable Kiss by Tamara Ferguson

Kate Callahan is destined to run her family construction business, and love was never in the picture. Michael Murphy is just an intern, but he is going for an architecture degree, and interning at a construction site was much better than being office help at some architectural firm in Chicago. Kate and Michael met, and they actually shared that one unforgettable kiss. But it was just a summer fling... right? But Kate was prophesized to share her life with the person with that kiss, and Michael... Has a life back in Chicago. They let each other go, but six years later, Kate finally admits to herself she made a mistake, when she found Michael is now engaged to someone else... but will Michael admit to himself that he's making a mistake, and he needs Kate back? And when a stalker is after Kate, can he protect her?

The problem with this novel is you weren't quite sure where is the story. The "six years ago" is all background material and may have been better as a prequel or even just the backstory. It's the current day that is the seriously angst-y parts. 3/5

GRR Reviews Treasured by Thursday by Catherine Bybee

Gabriella survived her ordeal (see book 6) and chose to start over as a new matchmaker for Alliance far away in the US. When her latest prospective client billionaire Hunter Blackwell refused to come clean about his reasons for a marriage of convenience, she rejected his application. However, he can't take no for an answer... for his own reasons. Instead, he applies leverage: his private investigator dug up about her past that she wanted to keep hidden... and two accounts she didn't know about on the other side of the world. She reluctantly agrees to the marriage... with some interesting additions to the pre-nup. In the meanwhile, she managed to log into those accounts from afar and changed the access code to them. Unfortunately, that also turned her into a target... as the real owner of those accounts is Diaz... the evil mastermind behind Gabi's suffering (in book 6), and he really wanted his money back, that he'll come to the US to deal with Gabi and Hunter personally... even as Hunter revealed the reason why he needs to marry ASAP...

I am not too sure about this one. While the premise sounded fine initially, Gabi seems to just fold with little reason when she has the entire Alliance to back her up, but somehow she wanted to "deal with it herself" (but it could be that she wanted to prove herself, it's almost plausible). Also, she somehow found accounts in foreign banks, and was able to gain login and password to those accounts just like that? That seems a bit far-fetched. These plotholes are pretty glaring when previous novels didn't have such problems. 4/5

GRR Reviews Irresistibly Rugged by Victoria Pinder

Dylan was one of the family framed and only marriage to Lois got him out. While the charges against them were dropped, Dylan is going to resolve the threat once and for all by finding and convicting the masterminds behind the operation. However, Dylan didn't know that his wife, Lois, is a spy for the other side... Lois just wanted to get out from her fate... marrying a guy she hated, or stuck in her cult leader father's clutches. Marriage is supposed to get her out with some money to start over somewhere else. She never counted on being used to frame a whole family... and being the actually guilty one. But can she come clean, even as the conspiracy closes in around them?

Sort of works, sort of doesn't. The schtick of a fake wife spying for the other side was used in all the other books and it's getting a bit old by this point. The final confrontation reads like an old pulp fiction plot (tie the victims to one of those highrise window washing platforms, with a bomb, to drop them at press of a button). It reads as if it's pulled from a plot generator. 3.5/5

GRR Reviews Irresistibly Tough by Victoria Pinder

Billionaire physician Oliver Bentley can't believe his entire family was arrested for alleged scam and to get himself out, he just needed to marry someone. And he needs to get out because his mother needs treatment. He was even more surprised when his intended bride was none other than the one that got away... His former girlfriend, Rachel. But Rachel has a huge secret... She bore him a son five years ago and never told him. Now, married to Oliver, she has to decide whether to divorce him in 30 days and be safe... Or risk it all for forever...

Not feeling much for this one, as this one relies more on plot than the characters. There's only so much a doctor and the secret baby tropes can advance the plot. The rest is basically enemies attack and attack, and suddenly came up with a different attack, only for the good guys to save the day. 3/5

GRR Reviews It Was Always You by Alexa Rivers

Dr. Avery Brown (PhD) is pioneering a new type of forensic science: soil sample positioning. Give her a soil sample, and with a database of soil from all around New Zealand, she can pinpoint the soil through isotope and trace analysis down to a few kilometers radius, perfect for nailing a suspected serial killer... and no body of the victim (yet). So when her lab was trashed and her home burned down, it was clear she needed protection, fast. But the one perfect for the job was the one boy that broke her heart... Sergeant Gareth thought Avery was the one... They had been together all through school. Letting her go was for her own good... he would never hold her back from her dreams. Protecting her was his duty... and his calling. But he knew he can't blur lines between professional and personal... Even if that means he had to push her away...

Several TSTL moments, not quite enough karma, and the nastiness was all from a misunderstanding? Eeek. 3/5

GRR Reviews Seduced by Sunday by Catherine Bybee

Meg is a matchmaker for Alliance, a matchmaking firm that specialized in marriages of convenience. She wants to investigate a secluded island resort operated by Valentino Masini, a sexy businessman. A secluded island with very discrete employees can be very good for Alliance's clients, and even though Meg considers herself off the market, she does notice Valentino's charm... and attempt to woo her. But Valentino and Meg soon found themselves in the middle of a mystery... Valentino's sister is being wooed by a winemaker, and someone wants Meg and her entire party off the island. What did Meg get too close to?

Again, the pivot from romance to romantic suspense was done almost seamlessly and all the plot points flowed properly. There was even a perfect karma payoff at the end.  What's even more amazing, it sets up the next and final novel in the series. 5/5

GRR Reviews Taken by Tuesday by Catherine Bybee

Judy is just a college graduate, except for a very famous brother, actor Michael Wolfe. She moved to LA and lived in her brother's mansion, working an internship hoping it will lead to a long-term job, but so far she's doing secretarial work. However, one bright spot in her day is Rick, one of her brother's bodyguards that would like to court her. Rick likes Judy's spitfire attitude. But when a stalker attacked Judy in her parking garage, and Rick became the primary suspect, it's clear the stalker isn't done with her, and Rick may have to risk everything to save her...

Nice handling of the threat, trying to narrow down the suspect pool, and so on. Police procedural was nicely handled, and the pivot from romance to romantic suspense was again, handled very nicely, which is this author's forte. No obvious plotholes. 5/5

GRR Reviews Irresistibly Charming by Victoria Pinder

Hannah had a fortune... the operative word is on "had". She trusted a cult leader and lost it all. So when the said leader told her he has a way for her to earn it all back, and get her family jewels back too, she's hesitant. But if all she had to do is to marry a guy to get him out of prison, stay married for 30 days, then divorce him, it's good, right? That is until she met Logan Bentley in person... // Logan can't believe his entire family, including mom in the hospital for cancer treatment, was arrested on trumped-up charges. Now that someone wants the brothers to get married before putting up bail is even stranger. But since they can't do anything from behind bars, what do they have to lose? Logan liked Hannah, and he vowed to help her recover her own fortune and put the cult leader behind bars. But the wives all seem to have their own agendas, having mostly been recruited by the same cult leader, who's doing bidding for some hidden mastermind. Does Hannah still want to get divorced? Will she help the Bentleys prove their innocence... or was she being swindled again?

Not too sure about this one. The reasoning for the conspiracy seems okay, but 'trumped-up charges' that would result in the arrest of the entire family, yet can be bailed out, really makes no sense at all when you think about it. 3.5/5

GRR Reviews Pretty Reckless by Jodi Linton

Laney had some wild days, including shooting rock salt into her cheating husband's naked ass when she caught him in their bed with a different woman. That now ex-husband, Gunner, signed the divorce papers and left town. Five years later, Laney is a deputy for her small town, and drug runners are encroaching. She's in a relationship with a guy she feels comfortable with (but not really love). Then her (cheater) ex is back in town... as a Texas Ranger, trying to solve a big case in her area. Forced to work together, it none-the-less won't be comfortable...

This book is really divisive to me. It's clear that things are not over between Laney and Gunner, despite his "cheating ass". On the other hand, I like Laney's sass and attitude, despite her inability to actually handle criminals (at least, not the rough kind). 3.5/5