GRR Reviews Chasing Shadows by Catherine Bybee

Avery was haunted by an attack that put her in the ICU for days that she can't remember. She believed the attacker was dead (see Half-Empty). Determined never to feel vulnerable again, she took up krav maga as self-defense, and she's quite good at it. But there's only so much she can do in the classroom and sparring. That's when Liam, krav maga classmate, volunteered to "attack" her (with padding, of course) to let her practice her defense moves. Liam is well-to-do, and when he saw Avery, he was instantly smitten and wanted to learn EVERYTHING about her... in a nice not-stalker way. But he will be her punching bag if that's the only way to get close to her. But when a visit to a club together triggered a recall of her attacker, Avery abandoned EVERYONE to return to the scene of the crime, determined to find the culprit and close the chapter in her past. Can the rest of the First Wives Club help her, and will love from Liam heal her?

The book basically is about "obsession'. He's obsessed about her, and she's obsessed about her past that she only recalled in hazy details. it's just that the ending feels a bit of deus ex machina... Someone swooped in and basically saved them both (not literally), even though it was a twist. 4.5/5

GRR Reviews The Mountain Man's Secret Valentine by Dizzy Hooper

Gage chose a solitary "mountain man" living because he has PTSD from the war, and having his fiancee screwed him over while he's away. So why is he so attracted to the flower delivery girl that just dropped off valentine flowers? When a freak blizzard stranded her on the hill with him, it's taking all his control to be a gentleman... Until she revealed he's her fantasy guy... a rough tough guy who won't treat her like a china doll...

The plot's over the top, but then, most "mountain man" stories are. This is no exception, nothing really new. She's a sheltered ingenue who needs a "real man". He hadn't tasted a woman in years... blah blah blah. Cliche after cliche. 3/5

GRR Reviews Forbidden: Our Secret Love by Elise Quinn Larson

Elise is 21, wanted to be a lawyer, and has a boyfriend. But when the boyfriend, college sports star, forced her to have sex, it was her cousin Trey that helped her heal. Elise eventually went to the authorities, only to be told there was not enough evidence to prosecute. Furthermore, her law school application was denied because the school receives a grant from her ex's father's law firm. Again, Trey was there to help her, and they fell in love. But as first cousins, they are not supposed to marry... But they planned for that with genetic testing, which exposed a family secret that would devastate them...

The problem is not with the... uh... let's just call it "unconventional" relationship between Elise and Trey, but Elise and Trey's back and forth, which doesn't really escalate, but more like "whiplash". One talk with her parents and she's ready to call it all off despite promising forever with him the night before would be one example. And the bad guys never got any karma, which is annoying. It's not the subject matter that's the problem, but the execution. 2.5/5

GRR Reviews Cake A Love Story by J Bengtsson

Jake was famous for TWO reasons: he survived an unspeakable ordeal at the hands of a serial kidnapper and murderer, and he also became a famous musician in spite of his ordeal. He had turned himself off emotionally to survive the first and remained aloof for the second. He rarely forms personal connections... Until now. // Casey was just a college student who agreed to be a bridesmaid for a friend. She didn't expect to be paired with the famous performer Jake. They are polar opposites: He's a musician, she's practically tone-deaf. She talks a lot, he's mostly silent. Yet when they finally met, they seem to be a perfect complement to each other. But can their love help him heal?

A bit longer than you'd expect (600 pages!), Jake and Casey actually have FOUR MORE books about their love and ordeals (for a total of 5 books). The characters are nicely nuanced, and the opposites attract trope was used very nicely. Jake was a guy that just wanted to be treated as "normal", while Casey can't do anything except being herself. It's her slowly drawing out the details of his ordeal and bonding over those moments that'll jerk your tears. This is NOT your typical "rockstar seduces ingenue" book. 5/5

GRR Reviews On the 12th Date of Christmas by Nikki Lynn Barrett

Robin has PTSD from being mugged. Now almost fearful of the public, she has anxiety attacks. But she was vivacious and self-reliant before, and Christmas is coming, and a lot of people are relying on her. Then she met Jonas again... // Jonas knew he should have never left town a year ago, but he let his parents pressure him into accepting the international internship. But he's back now. He was shocked to see Robin's transformation from a happy girl into the sad shell of a person. Desperate to get her back (in more sense than one), he teased her into accepting his cheesy proposal: go on twelve dates with him. Can he help her find herself again? Will he be there?

Not bad plotting, if slightly forced, but it's meant to be light-hearted and cheesy, signs of a sweet rom-com, albeit dealing with angst-y issues. 3.5/5

GRR Reviews A Change in Tide by Freya Barker

Mia was hiding out in the wilderness. living in a small cottage on a lake. Her only neighbor was a gorgeous hunk... who also bonked a Barbie doll on the dock in full view. Next day, he takes in a pregnant woman. The guy turns out to be Jared, ex-hockey enforcer forced out by career-ending injury... and the pregnant woman was actually his sister, and Mia ended up delivering her baby, when her midwife training came into use. Jared likes Mia, who's a strange mix of fear and panic attack mixed with total professionalism. It was clear she was traumatized by something, and he'll be there to support her. But is that love? If he gets a new career as a coach, what happens to this relationship?

Good descriptions, and good relationship that's a bit unusual. 4/5

GRR Reviews Unbreak This Heart by Betty Shreffler

Alexandra aka Alex was attacked. She survived, but she shunned all male contact, so much so that her fiancee Todd left her. It's been more than a year, and she's slowly coming back to life, that she didn't flinch when her best friend bought her physical training and self-defense lessons from Carter, who also wanted to date her. And Carter is definitely swoon-worthy, being a hard body and a semi-pro MMA fighter. But Todd, the man who abandoned her at her darkest hour, now wants her back, and the feelings are still there. Both of them want her heart, but only one can save her soul and unbreak her heart.

Survival from the attack and bitter flashbacks are very good. But using retrograde amnesia in the middle feels almost like cheating.  4/5

GRR Reviews Healing Her Cowboy by Kay Lyons

Grace had to leave Seth to deal with her own past. But when news arrived that Seth is paralyzed from a riding accident and in a deep depression, she had to come back... as she's now a physical therapist... and may be the only one who can heal his broken body and soul... if he'll let her in... but she had to bare her soul first...

Okay, angst-y, but nicely handled. There's a HEA, sure. 4/5

GRR Reviews Guarding the Broken by Kirsty Moseley

NOTE: This is part 1 of the novel. The full novel is more than 600 pages long, so this does end on a cliffhanger.

Anna is the daughter of a senator running for president. But she's broken three years ago, when her boyfriend was murdered and she was raped and held prisoner by sadistic kingpin Carter for months until her accidental rescue during a police raid. But Carter has somehow gotten a new trial when somehow some evidence in his conviction had been "tampered with". // Anna had run off every "near guard" and the senator took the unusual action of entrusting her safety to an untried (but best in class) SWAT agent, Ashton, young enough to pose as her boyfriend, and handsome enough to be believed, yet lethal and protective. // Anna didn't want to be cold and unemotional, but it was the only way she survived her months of imprisonment and abuse. Ashton made her feel something, but she's still not over losing her childhood sweetheart. Can she learn to trust again?

The background of Ashton really makes no sense. SWAT members don't go to separate schools but are regular police that underwent additional training. And police academy graduates don't get to go into SWAT school immediately. Nor are they assigned jobs across the country, as there is no "national school" or even "state academy" for police or SWAT.  The rest of novel basically is Anna slowly succumbs to Ashton's charms and protectiveness, as he was able to read her like a book without touching her... Until exactly when she needed it. Nothing really exciting happens until book 2.  3/5

GRR Reviews Turbulent Desires by Melody Anne

ER Nurse Lindsey has a severe case of PTSD after two madmen attacked her emergency room, killed one of the doctors and a nurse, and almost killed her. A year later, she can go through the motions of life and job, but she's withdrawn, even as her friend, a sexy flyboy by the name of Maverick (no, it's NOT a callsign) tries to help her recover.  // Maverick flies F/A-18 for the US Air Force, and he and Lindsey had a one-night stand at his brother's wedding. But she's withdrawn after the attack. Mav is determined to rescue her from herself, and then he will walk away, because he had sworn to never fall in love, not even for the stupid inheritance (long story). But he will stay the course for her...

Good polish, and his time off (stupid move and broke his arm, thus gets to stay home for a little while) was explained, sort of. But he just doesn't sound military at all. And there doesn't seem to be much of a "conflict"?  May be the weakest in the series. 3/5

GRR Reviews Mistletoe Summer by Abby Tyler

Cody, with broken spirit and body after surviving an IED in the Sandbox, had to return home to Applebottom to recuperate with help of his service dog Tyrus. With not much else to do, he decided to help his mother expand her doggy bakery, and that's where he met Melody. // Melody is broke, barely scraping by to make enough money for her grandma's nursing home and support herself. She needed to make some extra money over the summer, and helping Cody paint the new pet store is perfect, esp. when her Pomeranian named Mistletoe refused to leave Tyrus, Cody's service dog. Then they had the idea of operating a town "Pet Parade" as a part of "Christmas in July", which also serves to promote the grand expansion of the Pet Store / Doggy bakery. Melody's enthusiasm is infectious, and Cody can't help but go along... but he can't walk the route with his injuries... or can he?

If you like cute dogs, you should like this book. The opposties attract works well here. 4.5/5

GRR Reviews Impact by Haley Jenner

WARNING: Trigger issues: sexual violence, PTSD

Zoe was broken by one night she can barely remember... The night she was raped by an acquaintance. Yes, it was at a party. Yes, she thought he was nice. When he was acquitted, she left everything behind, her family, her job, her boyfriend... Because no one understood what she went through. Until she met Tripp. Sexy, kind, sweet, and saw through her pain, and wanted to love the woman at her core. Until she found out who his friend is...

Powerful prose, of depression and PTSD from rape, and the slow recovery through love and acceptance. 4.5/5

GRR Reviews Always Room for Cupcakes by Bethany Lopez

Lila was betrayed by her husband when she found him muff-diving on another woman in parking lot of Starbucks in a car. She took a photo, and plastered it all over town. Now she's divorced and raising three kids alone. That little expose lead to a private investigator, Moose, wanting to hire her for some work, and a group of close friends. Lila's latest assignment seems to be leading her into some drug cartel trying to setup in town headed by someone called Hector... and a sexy guy on a Harley and motorcycle leathers by the name of Cade who rescues her in times of need. But is he a hero... or a hidden villain? And when Hector found her interferring again and again... What will happen to her?

The book is weird, as if it was written by two different authors. The tone was funny and light and happy in the first half, esp. up to the point of Cade showing up and wanted to woo Lila. But the end, when Hector caught up, had a TOTAL tonal shift, with extreme violence (let's just say limbs, death, and destruction) and bondage play first time? Really? 3/5

GRR Reviews Treasured Grace by Tracie Peterson

Grace is a trail widow. Her husband, a minister, died of cholera on the way to Oregon in the wagon train, but she's still a virgin, as the marriage was arranged for convenience and he was totally devoted to God. Grace was hoping for a fresh start with her two younger sisters after her parents died. She was brought up as a healer and midwifery, and she decided to help the locals, settlers and Indians alike, upon arriving at the Whitman Mission, instead of pushing onto Oregon City, as they had not heard back from their uncle supposedly residing there, despite one of the widowers from the wagon train keep asking for her hand in marriage. She met Alex, one of the fur trappers in the region, and he helped as a translator to help the locals. But an aggressive band of Indians, believing that the local doctor is out to poison them instead of treating them, intended a pogrom. Alex had to keep Grace safe, but can he and his partner Sam save the other two sisters?

While the adventure portions are excellent, the love between the two seems tepid at best. The darkest hour doesn't quite seem to stack up properly. Alex had his own dark past as reason(s) to be roaming the frontier and made friends with Nez Parce, but the story continued on for quite a bit even after he revealed his past to Grace. In fact, the "triangle" barely made sense. The Christian angle was tolerable, if a bit persistent. This is, after all, the frontier. But some of the problems felt... arbitrary. For example, the middle sister had suffered trauma and PTSD. Grace keep trying to console her, and the sister, in a fit of rage, took Grace's bag, containing almost all of their belongings, and threw it into the river. Why the bag just because it's there? It seems this was done almost arbitrarily to force Grace into accepting a loveless marriage later so she can provide for her sisters. It felt wrong. The story then diverged then converged to deal with the sister's PTSD. it felt a bit... clumsy plotting. All in all, 3/5

GRR Reviews Cherishing Her by Annabelle Love

Jessica knew injustice. She was attacked by her boss, then when she brought charges, his lawyers turned the tables and accused her of entrapping him. Not only did she lose, she ended up paying HIS lawyer fees AND got slapped with a gag order, and nobody will hire a lawyer with a history of suing their boss. Which is why she's a temp now... barely making ends meet, for she had nowhere else to go. And she can NOT allow any man to get close to her... //  Max knew Jessica, his new temp, had been hurt before. He could see the panic in her eyes when he got close to her. He knew that PTSD look from his brother, who came back from the Middle East broken.  He wanted her, but knew he had to be careful...

Eh... While Jessica is easy to understand, Max seems to have a split personality, occasional alpha male, often "sensitive guy", sometimes oblivious. And the revenge scene, left to the very end, felt... rather unsatisfying.

Also, the legal situation doesn't make sense. Rape charge is a criminal charge i.e. State vs. Perp.  What was described would only work if a) criminal charges are dropped then b) the perp sued HER for defamation in a civil court which are separate actions.  2.5/5

GRR Reviews All Or Nothing by Natalie Ann

Ben Harper returned from war broken, having lost his best friend, brother of another mother, Trent. He settled into "director of security" for a hospital, hiding his inner demons from everyone, including himself. Ben came to know Presley, one of the nurses working there. She's vivacious, sexy, doesn't take gruff from anyone (not even him) and she saw through his disguise... because she has a few inner demons of her own. Their attraction is undeniable, but can they work through their own problems so they can love each other?

The beginning was way too much of a teaser, and felt almost unnecessary, just there for the shock value and the tease. The slow burn of the two meeting, slowly seducing each other, yet refuse to disclose their own secrets, is good. It's always the delusion that they can "get it out of their system" by going to bed, only to need more. Yet there's always the secret that festers in the background. The darkest hour feels a bit... forced.  4.5/5

GRR Reviews Ask Me Why by Harloe Rae

Braelyn is still coping with loss of her husband three years later. Only her best friend and her little store kept her alive. But Ollie, a vivacious boy who loved her taffy candy, warmed her heart. His father Brance, however... Is a total jerk who looks upon EVERY woman (except the grandma/nanny) with disgust and hostility. But he's also extremely handsome. Brance did notice the tension between himself and Braelyn, and they eventually bared their respective scars. But when Brance's behavior triggered Braelyn's meltdown, he rejected her. Will he admit his mistake and go back to her?

Nice, good push-pull, but I felt the darkest hour and what lead up to it seems a bit forced. her reaction made perfect sense (her husband died in a car crash, and she was not found for hours), so she has PTSD and worries while babysiting Ollie. Brance however, was late for HOURS without a single call, which triggered her meltdown. Brance, however, failed to do the right thing, for no particular reason. Sure, his phone died, but he could have called from a landline or something. He, for no particular reason that I can see, reverted to his initial "jerk" persona and basically berated her for being hysterical (which obviously, is the wrong thing to do, and Braelyn, not a confrontational woman, basically swallowed her tears and left). The rest of the book was people telling him that he's being stupid and he eventually agreed.  That felt really... clumsy. 3.5/5

GRR Reviews From the Start by Melissa Tagg

Kate had won an Emmy for a screenplay once, but it had been years before she wrote anything good, The sappy romance screenplays started to drain her. To get a fresh perspective, she went back home to Maple Valley, just after a tornado hit the area.  // ex-NFL quarterback Colton had lost his love (who left him for someone else) and his career (after a major injury). In a deep funk, when his friend needs to go home to Maple Valley to help rebuild, and his agent told him to lay low, he decided to go as well. // Kate and Colton met, as both try to adjust to small-town life. But Kate is about playing it safe, while Colton was all about risks. Yet with both looking for new direction in life, Colton remembered that his agent told him to work on a memoir... and Kate is a writer. But there are moments in Colton's life that he had repressed for too long... and it is those old wounds that may prevent him from ever truly start over... and have a future with Kate...

More layered than first expected, the book also meanders a bit, with multiple B-plots, such as a child with cancer, a rebellious kid in school coached by Colton, Colton's background as a foster kid, Colton betrayed by ex-lover who apparently didn't really love him, Colton's conflict with his agent who keeps sending him to interview for sportscaster position, mixed with Colton's repressed PTSD memory. Kate wanted to write stuff with more meaning, wanted to apply for a position to write for an NGO in Africa, wanted to do stuff more like her mother would have wanted... The page count is just over 400 pages, which is pretty darn big. I think the book could use a bit of slimming down, but I like the characters well enough.

Category: Contemporary

Overall Rating: 4/5

NOTE: Tropes are now in the "Labels" below.

GRR Reviews Hope For Christmas by Holly Stevenson

Hope, a popular yoga instructor for MyHeartChannel, has a special engagement for a week in the resort at Pine Ridge Colorado, teaching lessons to live students instead of merely to a camera. Owen is an ex-marine who lost his best buddy to war and still suffers from PTSD. He would have never come until his mother dragged him there, hoping yoga would help him calm himself. When a creepy guy confronted Hope after a session, Owen stepped in as pretend boyfriend/bodyguard. But Owen was convinced he's broken, and not worthy of Hope. Yet Hope is drawn to the protective yet gentle Owen... But when circumstances seem to conspire against them... It will take a miracle, and some Hope... for this Christmas to go right.

The stalker situation is okay, though repeating the same gag (security showed up just late enough to apologize) is a bit "meh". It also seems they missed a charge... Assault with a deadly weapon. IMHO, the sudden on/off hot/cold by Owen could have been handled a little better, but I guess it was there to plant doubt in Hope's heart. But why does Hope seem to have low self-esteem for herself that she cannot trust Owen, and decided to treat Owen's attitude as a betrayal not merely once, but twice?

Category: Contemporary

Overall Rating: 4/5

NOTE: Tropes are now in the "Labels" below.

GRR Reviews "Warrior Undone" by Jessica Ruben

Slade, an ex-SEAL, suffers from PTSD. He runs a security business with his friends. He had a fling with Lauren at a wedding. They are opposites. When they reconnected in Las Vegas when he had to protect her from a shooting it also triggered his PTSD. Slade refused to acknowledge his problems and tries to self-medicate, and Lauren, who already fell for the SEAL, is becoming scared of him...

The portrayal of PTSD and the downward spiral is good, as is how it's affecting the relationship.

Category: Contemporary / On the rocks

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

NOTE: Tropes are now in the "Labels" below.