Book Review - Bonita Faye

Bonita Faye by Margaret Moseley
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was pleasantly surprised as I began this one. I wasn't quite sure what to expect but I really liked it. There isn't a ton of mystery to it, but a few questions that we get some answers to. I like how the story is told from her perspective. We see how she evolves and grows throughout the novel. She's optimistic and brutally honest. I really loved her friends and Harmon. Claude wasn't my favorite, I was routing from Harmon the entire time. There is some romance, war, crime, lots of trips to France and lots of small town country moments. It wasn't super fast paced but it didn't bore me at all. There were some parts that began to lag and I found myself skimming over some parts. I was able to put it down, it wasn't edge of your seat kind of book, but I was eager to pick it up again.
Bonita Faye is a strong woman who claws her way out of undesirable circumstances and changes her life for the better. The characters were all likeable unless they were meant to be hated. I liked how everything didn't go perfectly for her, and that was alright too. It made me chuckle but I wouldn't compare this to Janet Evanovich, I didn't find myself laughing out loud throughout. This was a light and easy read that kept me entertained.

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Book Review - Broken Promise (Sons of Broad #3)

Broken Promise by Tara Thomas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the third in the Sons of Broad Series by Tara Thomas. I received this book from Netgalley and after I started it, I knew I had to start from the beginning. I hunted down the first two and finished them before diving back into Broken Promise. I did not read any of the prequel novellas which may have been helpful for some more backstory. Each of the books in the series focuses on one of the Benedict brothers. In the last book we are introduced to Kipling. I had a feeling the older mature and seemingly playboy brother was more deep than he let's on.
The romance begins between him and Alyssa, the police officer from the previous books. The romance isn't a surprise, there's a lot of playful banter and sexual innuendos from Kipling in the other books but the feelings behind them aren't introduced until this final installment. A lot of questions are answered in this one. We found out the who and why of the Gentleman which fills in a lot of blanks. I wonder if there's a novella from the POV of the Benedict's mom? That would be an interesting read.

I would definitely read the series in order, otherwise the finale built up in the first two is spoiled in book three. I liked Alyssa. She was a strong heroine but not perfect, you saw the flaws too. I do wonder, whatever happened to her partner from the first book? She originally has a partner, then he just stops coming and no more mention of him. Generally if a department runs two deep, they don't just stop. I also felt her decision to leave the department felt pretty rash. I definitely saw her leaving, but there wasn't much in the way of her decision, just that she made it.
I will say each of these girls seem to come from a home with a rough father.

SPOILER ALERT!!! SPOILER ALERT!!!


The loose ends from the other books all seem to tie up at the end. Some questions I had with the ending is Kipling's injury. We aren't ever really told what happens with him, he seems alright, like he's faking but then ends up in a coma and needing physical therapy? For what?! Also, Jade seems to have no problem being shot since it's no longer mentioned again. The part with Tilly's dad is a bit confusing. It's talked about that he's a hindrance to the Gentleman, but then that's it. So did he plant the evidence? It wasn't very clear. And the decision he made for the Benedict parents was surprising, considering his motive behind it all.

In the end it was a good book, a good series and I am definitely interested in reading more from this author, and perhaps I'll check out the novellas as well.

Thanks for the opportunity!

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Book Review - Deadly Secret (Sons of Broad #2)

Deadly Secret by Tara Thomas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the second novel in the Sons of Broad series by Tara Thomas. I actually received an ARC for the third in the series and started it. Since I ended up enjoying it I tracked down the first two.
This was probably my least favorite of all three. I didn't read any of the prequel novellas so I might be missing some of the back story to these.

What I didn't like as much in this one was our heroine, Bea. I liked Knox, he wasn't my favorite brother but I liked him a lot more than Bea. The first half of the book drove me nuts.

**Spoiler Alert!**
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER

She was so adamant about not letting her fear of this madman move her from her home, but this was the same guy who's keeping her from who she loves? She won't let him dictate where she sleeps at night (which would keep her alive), but she's willing to give up her husband because he said so? What kind of a woman is this?

Rant over.

She was a little too trusting of Jade in my opinion. Not to say that Jade didn't need someone in her corner, but Bea was a bit too naive to stay alive without Knox.

The suspense was good, the madman was hate-able, the mystery was there. There are some open ends, some from the first are weaved in, but new ones are formed. For me, it wasn't so bad since I had all 3 books at once. I was able to pick up book 3 when this was over so it didn't leave me hanging.

There is romance, sex scenes, some language and mature content like in the last, an adult read for sure. On to the next in the series!

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Book Review - Darkest Night (Sons of Broad #1)

Darkest Night by Tara Thomas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This author was new-to-me and I'm pleasantly surprised with the result. I haven't really gotten into romantic suspense until now. I actually received an ARC from Netgalley for the third book in the series. I began reading it, and then since I liked the story, I had to hunt down the first two. I have not read any of the author's other work under her pen name or through her novellas.
The Benedict boys each have their own angle and personality and each one will have their own book. The first begins with the youngest, Keaton and his childhood neighbor Tilly. This was a sweet and quick romance that skips the instalove feeling since they were childhood friends and crushes until a tragedy ripped them apart for years. They are later reunited and all the old feelings rush back.
As soon as they are reacquainted, the bodies and danger start showing up at Tilly's door. Keaton's desire to protect her was sweet. The suspense moved quickly and kept me thoroughly engaged. Sometimes the pacing and change of POV threw me, I'm not sure if that was because of the ARC format though.
The gentleman was a character I loved to hate, and I know there is something much deeper for him in all this. The characters weren't super deep, but I could get a good glimpse of them. This book really focuses on a few, I'm imagining the other books each focus on different characters. The only character I wasn't a fan of were the twins, and one of their quick 180 in personality. It just felt forced.
There were some sex scenes, some language, and mature content, it wasn't over the top but definitely an adult read. There were a few references that had me wondering and perhaps there is something in a previous novella that accounts for those details. A few loose ends when this was over, however, it's a series. It wasn't a cliff-hanger, but enough to make me wonder how they will connect in the next book. I will definitely continue in the series and I'm eager to find more from this author.

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Book Review - All For You

SPOILER ALERT!! SPOILER ALERT!!

I really enjoyed this one.  It's been awhile since I picked up a contemporary romance and a military one nonetheless.  I'm glad I started with this one.  This one kept me intrigued the entire way through.  I was hoping for a little more depth into the hazing, but I realize that wasn't the focus of this novel.  I felt the author did a really good job portraying the scene and brutal truth about mental health in the military.  I also loved that she was honest that it isn't as black and white as some try to make it out to be.  The characters weren't my fav, don't get me wrong, they were written well.  Reza was a broken and flawed character, which I think she pulled off well.  At first I was annoyed by an addict hanging on to a bottle to "prove" he was strong enough since you knew it was just a matter of time.  In the end I'm glad it came around.  Emily was a decent character but I felt she was a little to naive.  How could she not possibly know what ammo and mags are?  She did say she watched every war movie she could find, and while she was a doctor, she was also in the army for goodness sakes.  I also don't know that drinking with an alcoholic is the best way to support a man you are falling for.  My personal pet peeve was the reference to her female anatomy as her "sex."  That drives me nuts, there are quite a few other words that can be used and numerous to describe the male anatomy but any reference towards her was the single word.  I enjoyed my little trip to Fort Hood and am interested in reading the rest of the series.  Overall, the good outweighed the bad and I will continue to watch this author in the future.