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 The Exiled Patriot by Jennifer Youngblood

Jayden, reporter, was assigned to interview some eccentric billionaire Lillian Yates about a hidden treasure she's hidden away for someone near her town of Remember near Christmas. But when her quest resulted in her falling into a freezing river, she was rescued by Cannon, a mountain man, and that is clearly not his real name. And then she's snowed in with him. Just who is Cannon, and what tragedy has he witnessed? And while Jayden's curiosity was piqued, she found the truth.... Can she break the story... and betray the man she came to love?

A bit deeper than the usual, the setup seems to be some "meddling", albeit good-natured. The betrayal, however, was trope as heck. 4/5

GRR Reviews Loving the Boss by Agnes Canestri

Eleni took the furthest job she can find: dance instructor at a remote tropical resort, to get away from the heartbreak of her cheating fiancee. While Matteo, the dive manager, is handsome, she's not ready for another relationship. Besides, while she can dive, she never wanted to again... Not after what happened to her mother... // Matteo wants his own diving school, and he needs to both ace his job AND find "The Pearl" a fabled dive spot that all signs pointed to being nearby, but no one had found yet. Finding that would cement his reputation. He had no time for distractions such as Eleni.  // When Eleni was transferred to work with Matteo, they can't avoid each other anymore. But when the rich Russian guest Nikolai wanted Eleni in his bed, what will she do? And what will Matteo do about it?

Was this translated? A lot of word usage is really weird, like "animation team" for staff that deals with the guests, or use the term "rubbish" which is more Brit-speak (Americans prefer the term "garbage"). The characters are nicely layered, but the plotting and pacing could use a little help. 3.5/5

GRR Reviews Jack Be Quick by Fiona Quinn

Suz is an elementary school teacher with loved her students. Her lover, Jack, is an ex-SEAL and now works for a para-military contractor company Inniquis Group, who also helped her outfit her classroom with a special escape plan, hoping never to use it. When attackers swarmed the school and kidnapped two important kids, they failed to capture their third target in her class because she executed her escape plan. But instead of being hailed a heroine, she was instead suspected of being an undercover agent by tabloids... and made a target by the evil-doers...  // Jack can't believe Suz wasn't there when he woke up from surgery, the result of an injury on his latest mission for Inniquis to thwart another evil plot. It seems Suz, threatened by the evil-doers, decided to track down the two missing kids herself, hoping Jack and the rest of Inniquis would be able to follow her... and Jack will not rest until she's rescued...

Oh, very nice. If you just read the blurb, you'd think Suz is a TSTL secret agent wannabe who gets into stuff she can't get out of. But if you read the whole book, you'll understand that she was willing to risk herself, and trust in Jack and Inniquis Group to rescue her (and the two kids she wants to find and protect). and it actually made sense. The escape from classroom was also VERY nicely done, as was the other escape plan. The logic leap that made her a target again however, requires a leap of faith. Still, it's a good tale. 5/5

GRR Reviews Her Wild Coast Rescue by Dakota Davies

Tim lost his brother in a huge train derailment fifteen years ago. Now, he's a mountain rescue tech, specializes in rappelling down helos, first aid, wilderness survival, and mountain rescues. He knew he wanted to give back, but as an EMT, he knew he had to harden his heart, if he had any after losing his brother. Until he rescued Matt, and his sister, Sarah, from a mountain. // Matt and Sarah were climbing McKenzie when he suffered a bad fall and major head injury. Sarah was a nursing student, and through her skills, Matt's condition is stabilized for rescue by Tim and his crew. Tim and Sarah felt an instant connection neither can deny. But does Tim still have a heart to give? And Sarah will be gone one day, when Matt's condition was resolved, one way or the other... Right?

A short novel (120 or so pages), there is actually quite a bit of plot. Rescue details are authentic, though it did sort of revert to "trauma leading to sudden realization" trope that has little to do with the FMC. One also questions how did Tim get his bedrooms skills if he's such a loner? ;) 4/5

GRR Reviews Sleighed by Annie Dyer

Zack runs his senior care home in his small town Severton. He goes on long hikes and visits local bars with his brothers and friends. Things are great. Until he found that Severton's latest resident has hired away most of local contractors to build her hotel, leaving his Christmas plans for his seniors in ruins. He'll give her a piece of her mind... // Sorrell bought the place, hoping to be settled with her fiancee into a quieter life away from the city hustle. Instead, he broke up with her. Now she's alone in a new town, too financially committed into this project to let it fail. Meeting Zach, angry over loss of his contractors, wasn't initially pleasant, but her baking skills and friendly disposition soon won him over. //  Severton is a friendly town that lends a hand, but Severton also has secrets and dangers. When one of Sorrell's employees may have met with foul play, Sorrell may need Zach's rescue skills...

Good pivot from a bit of rom-com to a bit of romantic suspense. But really, one TSTL moment: why didn't she call for help sooner, and think she can do everything herself? 4/5

GRR Reviews Hero In My Bed by Piper Sullivan

Preston is with town's search and rescue. Definitely a hero of sorts, and the town's golden boy. But he can't keep his eyes away from the sassy bartender Nina... And the town, making a charity calender of the hometown beefcakes is definitely going to bring them together... Nina tries to resist the temptation... but Preston wanted to make her his forever...

Didn't feel much about this one. Nothing really stands out. 3/5

GRR Reviews Turbulent Intrigue by Melody Anne

Ace spent years undercover as a drug cartel pilot and dealmaker, so deep under he can't even let his family know he's safe. He finally brought down the kingpin and the cartel, but the kingpin's final gambit bomb severely wounded Ace, forcing him to go home to recuperate, which is where he met Dakota, best friend of one of his sisters-in-law, current NFL cheerleader, and pilot-wannabe. Ace knew Dakota should be off-limits, but Dakota definitely wanted Ace... Until a new threat surfaced... Someone knew Ace was the snitch that took down the cartel, and wanted to kill him for retribution, and to do that, they will go after anyone near him...

While the threat is nice and detailed, the response to it is a bit puzzling. Ace's brothers stepped up to help him, which is nice, but they are not commandos... (one's airline CEO/pilot, one's a USAF fighter pilot, and one is Coast Guard helo pilot)  But they go on rescue missions like SWAT? Hmmm? And Ace is a real bullet sponge... got shot and blown up multiple times. Eeek. Poor guy. 4/5

GRR Reviews Find Me, Save Me by Barbara Gee

FBI Special Agent Tucker had been chasing after the brutal and sadistic kingpin Jimmy for years. He actually arrested Jimmy once, but he somehow bribed enough cops to convince a judge that the evidence was planted and he was released on bail. By the time the dirty cops confessed, Jimmy is gone. Now Jimmy wants revenge... by kidnapping Libby, Tucker's sister. Unfortunately, they got the wrong girl... Her neighbor Madison instead. No matter, they'll torture her on camera. // Tucker must save Maddie, and eventually, he did. He admired the courage of Madison for standing up to the sadistic kingpin but he didn't know she had admired him from afar through his sister. Can he dare love her? Or will he decide his job only bring pain to those he loved?

The procedural stuff seems okay, and the tech details looks about right. But the problem here is Madison and Tucker didn't really spend that much time together. For half of the book she's being tortured hoping for a rescue. The other half she's mostly in the hospital and/or being moved to a secure location while Tucker tries to find Jimmy and arrest him for real. They barely met and spend much time together. Jimmy's plan and motivation also doesn't really make sense other than "he's a sadistic bastard". That's a pretty shallow villain.

3/5

GRR Reviews Help Me, Hold Me by Barbara Gee

Vince was thankful for the rehab he had received at the Full Heart Ranch that he had achieved his best hockey season ever. So when it's time to go back, he didn't hesitate. Sand and surf have can't compete with friendly people and horses. // Callie's grandpa Jeremiah is dying of cancer, and it's terminal. While Callie's happy about having a pro-hockey player in town (at least temporarily),  her mood is still somber... Vince met Callie, and wanted to protect her and help her, and Jeremiah, intending to matchmake the pair, revealed a secret to Vince... to be revealed to Callie only AFTER Jeremiah's death... But they didn't know that Callie's life is already in danger...

The plot sorta made sense, and sort of didn't. The problem I have is with the age, which means I have to spoil the plot.

SPOILER

AHEAD

I WARNED

YOU!

Okay, turns out Callie's actually a kidnapped heiress, and it was her brother that got the nanny (whom he's bonking) to "get rid of her", but nanny can't do it, so nanny ran off and pretended to be her mom, while making everybody else believe she drowned. Even if she didn't have much memory, she was, what? 4 or 6? And her brother, bonking the nanny is like what? More than eighteen? And it's now, what? Almost twenty years later, and he wants to finish the job? Motivation for cover-up here is really lame. She didn't know anything, and even with she around she wouldn't divide up the fortune THAT much, could she? By attempting to kill her, he had actually caused the very thing he tried to avoid. Really made no sense at all. There's a lot of tell not show, as a lot of background was revealed through a private investigator. And that barely made sense. Furthermore, the suspense didn't mix well with the romance. It's as if we are reading two different books spliced together. 3/5

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 Protecting Olivia by Riley Edwards

Olivia just needed some fun to escape her stifling life. Her mother, a White House aide, seems to be having unreasonable mood swings. She never had a father. Having been roofied and kidnapped, and spent days in a stinky room handcuffed to a bed made her contemplate death, and how much life she missed. Then she was rescued... by Leo, callsign Panther, and the rest of Red Team... // When the president calls, the Red Team responds. It seems a White House aide's daughter's missing, and the daughter is best friends with First Daughter and her mom is best friends with First Lady. And someone is sending a message... someone with deep connections and deeper pockets. // Leo "Panther" is an ex-SEAL. Conducting an off-the-books rescue was normal. Falling for the rescue victim, however, is not. Yet from the moment she uttered "don't leave me", Leo was captivated by Olivia. Leo has no choice but to take Olivia into hiding while the rest of the team unravel the conspiracy. Will they give in to their attraction for each other? Will Red Team find out about the grand conspiracy gripping the nation? Who is playing whom?

There are a couple more subplots, like why mom's having mood swings, how Olivia's father actually showed up (turns out it's a secret baby trope), and how the grand conspiracy is confusing as heck, as the "bread crumbs" seems just to be "too easy". But the rescuer falling for the rescued, it's basically insta-love. 3.5/5

GRR Reviews Nightstalker by Riley Edwards

Jasmin knew it wasn't the name she was born with. She knew she was captured and tortured and rescued. But she cannot recall the details. She went back into the field as an operator, being the best shot in the business. So who is Lincoln? Why his words can turn her on like no other? And when he went missing on a mission, can she save him? // Lincoln had been through SEAL training, and later, as a CIA operative. He just returned from a two-year undercover assignment, and there was Jasmin, alive and kicking, and... lost. Lincoln knew Jasmin like no other... but that's a secret Jasmin had to find out for herself, and it's hiding in her own mind. When Lincoln went MIA on a mission, Jasmin may be his only hope...

Okay, good twists and turns and the Red Team stories continue in "Protecting Olivia". The military bits are actually not bad, but the conspiracy and hidden identity stuff seem a bit over the top... Like what happened to Jasmin's head... or her secret relationships with others (some she didn't even know) all in the name of "national security". The meta-story, about someone messing with the US government, as vague and twisty that I'm not too sure if I like it. Overall, the novel is definitely a 4/5 though.

GRR Reviews Ethan (K9 Files) by Dale Mayers

Ethan was medically discharged from the military after an IED ended the life of his K9 companion and left him seriously wounded. Then Titanium Corp found him a job... It seems that the military had lost track of many ex-service dogs, and TC is to track them down. And one of them, "Sentry", was tracked to near Ethan's hometown in Texas. Which brought him to Cinnamon, aka "Cinn". // Cinn is heavily involved in global dog rescues, and when Ethan, who was able to track down a wounded German shepherd and brought the dog to the nearby vet office, she just about swooned, for she saw a lost soul in Ethan, much like the dogs she helped. But Ethan's ability to calm and influence dogs puts him in the path of some dangerous criminals to may have co-opted Sentry for dastardly purposes, and regular police's treatment of dangerous dogs was bullets first, questions later. Ethan will risk his life to save the dogs, but that also brought criminals to Cinn's door...

The dog handling bits are excellent. The plot is actually quite good with a twist at the end that was excellent. Overall, very good romantic suspense with the dog handling bits that put it over the top. 5/5

GRR Reviews Defending Allye by Susan Stoker

Allye knew she's unusual... Her eyes are different colors, and she has a white streak of hair. For that, she was kidnapped by traffickers for a sadistic "collector" who deals with unusual "things". Fortunately, she was rescued by former SEAL, now "mountain mercenary" Gray. // Gray was surprised to rescue Allye, as he thought he was just there to interrogate the crew about the trafficking ring. But having swum together the whole night toward rescue, their bonding experience made him realize Allye is one in a million... and the only one for him. When Allye found a clue that could unravel the trafficking ring, she was invited to Colorado Springs, and Gray's house. But the collector soon up the ante by kidnapping, torturing, and killing Allye's co-workers, "demanding" her return. Allye is determined to offer herself as bait if it will stop the madness. And Gray may have to let her go if he wanted her forever. But the mountain mercenaries have his back... and hers.

Good intro into the series of semi-vigilantes and a very good way to bond the MMC and MFC together. The bad guy is creepy and sadistic alright, in a Bond villain kind of way. I think the final fight could have been a little more exciting, but it could be just me. 4.5/5

GRR Reviews The Lumberjack's Secret Guest by Elana Johnson

Phoenix just wanted to be left alone. He didn't want the townfolks of Forbidden Lake to look at him when he was jilted at the altar way back when. He works as a lumberjack part-time, and care for his family cherry orchard. It's a hard but honest living, except for the pesky state agent Allegra, who keeps wanting to take his family land to be added to the adjacent state park. // Allegra secretly admired Phoenix... except for this animosity between them. But when his ex turned stalker and chased her into the forest, she had nowhere to go but to Phoenix's cabin in the woods for help. And he took her in, enemy and all. And he would even go to town for her, something he hadn't done for years. But is she just a secret guest to him? And her evil ex is still out there...

While the mix of lumberjack vs stalker is somewhat novel, and the chemistry is above average, the plot just feels choppy. The explanation on why Allegra was trying to take the land was never explained (at least to my satisfaction), and I saw the darkest hour coming a mile away. You can probably guess the plot, which I won't spoil, but your guess is probably not far off. 2.5/5

GRR Reviews Defending Danielle by Shauna Allen

Drew is an elite force recon marine. He has done it all. When one of the missions had gone bad, his team was pulled from the hot zone to recuperate... and as a backup to Senator Lytle's security. Senator's daughter was recently captured by traffickers, then rescued by a SEAL team. Senator wanted to honor the team at an event, and the traffickers vowed revenge. Drew didn't want a babysiting mission, then he discovered that Senator's intern is none other than Danielle, his own high school tutor, who had a crush on him (but he didn't notice then). But he's perfectly willing to love her now, as she's beautiful and smokin' hot. But is she a distraction for the mission ahead?

Sorry to say, but the entire premise is implausible. A SEAL would NEVER accept being honored at a black-tie event (unless they are retired), much less a whole team of them.  And pulling a force recon team to run security detail? Any one ever heard of posse commitatus act? That active military forces cannot be deployed within the continental US?  Security is also atrociously bad for such a high profile event. Trying to make regular military guys play bodyguard just doesn't work for me.  The actual plotting is tolerable, but Dani basically fell into Drew's bed pretty darn quickly. And the bad guys aren't that much of a challenge (not that the force recon guys would let a SWAT team do their job)

2/5

GRR Reviews The Cost of Hope by G S Carr

In the post-Civil War Alabama, Sarah survived as a slave in a household that was strict, but not cruel, and raised a daughter named Hope. When the mistress died, and the young master tried to force her, she was left with no choice but to run with her daughter. She was almost caught when she was rescued by Alexander, one of the biggest plantation owners in the area... // Alexander had been looking for Soleil for a long time. She was kidnapped by slave traders and he had never forgotten her. Her reappearance was both a surprise and a shock... and the fact she didn't remember a thing of her previous life left them both reeling. She wanted to believe he loved her, but she is still stunned by her change in fortune.  When people around Alex intend to force Soleil out of the way, Alex may be forced to execute his own final gambit so they can be together...

Wow, this is one tour-de-force, with what seems to be impeccable research in the years after the Civil War where the slaves may be freed in name, but in reality severely restricted by various laws. The solution was both somewhat of a deus ex machina, yet ingenious. This book will bring tears to your eyes.

5/5

GRR Reviews Rescue Me by Emilia Hattington

Emily had to get away from her abusive BF... who actually whipped her (with an actual whip) when she's not "compliant". With the help of a friend, she changed her name to Emma and now lived hundreds of miles away with a distant aunt as an assistant librarian. // Liam made his billions through hard work and a sharp mind. He always runs a fundraiser for his hometown, and this year it happens to be the town (and school) library, and meeting Emma was a very pleasant surprise. Wooing Emma wasn't easy, as it's clear Emma is hesitant to engage as if she had been hurt before. And her evil ex is still out there...

This book feels as if it's written by formula, and the author has some problems with descriptions. I noticed some awkward sentences at the beginning, and the plot was really trope. I knew EXACTLY the moment the bad guy would make his presence known, and the plot was also extremely stupid. Let's just say, when a woman is getting ready to run, and even left a "Dear John Note", and you kidnap her, why wouldn't you take the car too? Instead, leaving the car there practically screams "Kidnapped!"  What's more, actually finding a newspaper clipping with her circled and written "Mine"? A bit over-the-top. Some parts of it were good, but that doesn't offset the lame parts. The bad guy's TSTL.

Category: Contemporary / Romantic Suspense

Overall Rating: 2/5

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

GRR Reviews Zane by Kimberly Lewis

Kellan left her city life behind to get away from her criminal BF, who treated her like a possession, and even beat her. She drove into the countryside, and ended up in a small town. After trading away the MB for a rusted pickup and her city wardrobe for boots and jeans, she almost fitted in... Except for one hot sexy cowboy who hated her guts... by the name of Zane... // Zane was having a bad day... his pickup overheated, stranding him and his horse, and then this MB sped by, covering him in dust. Finding the owner, who claims to be "Andi Ford" (like the pickup) assimilated into town, Zane knew Andi is trouble... but when she took up waitressing at the only bar in town, and a couple folks got too handsy, Zane will protect her... But her secret was never too far away...

The ending was telegraphed for a while, and it's... tolerable. But the big Hollywood chase was rather lame, complete with the cliche "he shot away my mirror!" 

Category: Contemporary

Overall Rating: 3/5

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