In Plain Sight Siren Publishing

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Author: Gracie C. McKeever
Publisher: Siren Publishing

BLURB:

Part Amazon, part seductress, all trash-talking cynic, Dara Kelly is murdered in front of her latest skip. Her job on earth, however, has only begun.

Dara Kelly and Samantha Taylor should not have died, but did. And now both women are on the trail of two men – one an abusive, cheating husband-turned-killer, the other a rival bounty hunter whom will not be bested by any woman. Each will have their revenge, but at what cost to Caution Foster, the man they both love?

When Samantha Taylor dropped out of her senior year of college to marry gorgeous and almost ten years her senior Dawson Foster, she never knew what she was getting into. But Alex is a quick study, and a year into her marriage prepares to remove her unborn baby and herself from a bad situation before it’s too late. A headlong tumble down some stairs, however, violently nips her plans in the bud. But someone upstairs has other plans for Samantha in the form of rough-and-ready, newly-expired
bounty hunter, Dara Kelly.

Twice-divorced, Dara Kelly doesn’t want to get married again, not even to luscious, Cuban-Irish Caution Foster. An African-American woman, she thrives in a profession where men set the rules, garnering respect and a tough reputation to match. But along with respect comes envy and enemies who will stop at nothing to gain a bounty…not even murdering a fellow skip tracer.

REVIEW:

This was a fabulous book, the writer kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the entire book.

It was one of those books that I didn’t want to end yet I wanted to know who dunnit!

The storyline was gripping with just a hint of eroticism. I like the fact that the author wasn’t compelled to use bad language and just goes to show that you can have a book of this high calibre with death and sex without resorting to the use of constant swearing.

I would definitely read more of the author’s books and would gladly recommend her to my friends.

Nine Inches of Snow and the Ebony Princess Siren Publishing

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AUTHOR: Gracie C. McKeever

PUBLISHER: Siren Publishing

REVIEW:

Aziza is used by her stepmother, Philomena, as the hired help. Aziza’s father died, leaving Philomena his vast fortune, which really should have gone to Aziza.

The book opens with Aziza working at one of Philomena’s partys, and one of society’s most eligibile men, David Healey, seeks her out. He doesn’t see her as the hired help, far from it. He sees her for who she is as a person and not what she would have been if she had inherited her father’s fortune.

Aziza is attracted to David, as he is to her, but she forces her emotions down. David has his own money so he obviously isn’t after Aziza for that. All he appears to want is one dance. And to make her his. But, he is with Philomena so this isn’t really a good idea… Despite that, they get a little frisky with one another.

Aziza can read people’s feelings and emotions, and their minds if she feels the need. She attempts to probe David’s mind but it seems he has blocked her entry. What forces are at work here?

David has decided to let Philomena go, more so after she finds him and Aziza together in the kitchen, thankfully not in an uncompromising position… Philomena quite firmly tells Aziza to tend to the guests, and just as firmly grips her arm. David witnesses this and his resolve to get Philomena out of his life strengthens. He tells Philomena they are over, and she isn’t pleased as she suspects it’s because David likes Aziza. She makes it quite clear that David and Aziza will ‘never be’.

Philomena is just horrible. Outer appearances are most important to her. She’s had plastic surgery in many forms, considers herself full of class and beauty. Ugly on the inside though. She’s the female villain we all love to hate… She’s wanted to snare David as her second rich husband, and now that her plans had been thwarted, she wasn’t a happy bunny. More like a bunny boiler. David leaves the party and she trails him in her car. Intent on keeping him away from Aziza at all costs, this quite zany mad-as-a-hatter woman drives at him in her car and leaves him for dead on the pavement!

Shudder! This woman is seriously odd, yet at the same time a creepiness is attached to her. Here, when she rammed the car into David, I ’saw’ mad, staring eyes, gritted teeth and a totally insane woman. Much as it made my eyes widen, I was pleased to read something with a little psychological element to it. Crazy people in books make for a good read.

Oh wow. Major twist to this tale. David is only a bloody wolf! Yip! Liking this tale more and more as I read along…

David, on the ground after the ‘accident’ is on the pavement in wolf form. Onlookers rush to the scene. There is a problem, though. As a wolf, David can still see his human form on the ground, and this is not supposed to happen… His body is taken to hospital in an ambulance. He wants to follow the body, but the urge to be with Aziza is stronger. He wants her as his mate, and he can feel her close by.

Aziza is at home merrily reading a book when David appears in wolf form at her apartment. This is written plausibly, so there isn’t any “Oh, yeah right!” coming into my mind at this point. The book is written in such a way that it seems entirely natural that a man can be a wolf, sniff out his mate and find out where she lives and then go to visit her. I liked that aspect of this story. It was a natural progression in the tale. He speaks to her in her mind and she can hear him.

Though Aziza can see David/Wolfy, other people can’t, so he is able to go to the hospital to check up on his human form. His family are at the hospital and one senses him in his wolf form. The whole family are wolves.

David tries to ‘leap’ his wolf form back into his inert human body but something is stopping him. This hasn’t happened before, he can usually merge with himself quite easily.

Back to the bunny boiler, who is incensed that David is still alive. She’d got rid of the car she’d used to run David over, and decides she has unfinished business to attend to at the hospital. Again, this woman is totally creepy and utterly weird. I love the way she is shown in this book. I keep getting goose bumps when reading about her. So, knowing she’s on her way to the hospital to finish what she started, I’m on pins and needles when the next chapter starts and it’s in Aziza’s POV. I feel the need to race through and see what’s going to happen. Good job.

Aziza works at the hosptial and is assigned to look after David. David’s grandpa is in the hospital room when Aziza goes to check on him. She sees David as a ghost-like form and they communicate. Grandpa is convinced Aziza is the one to pull David out of his coma, and leaves her to look after him.

David is able to ‘wish’ for things and they happen, so he whisks Aziza away to a replica of his bedroom at his house. They are drawn together sexually, and afterwards Aziza senses someone back in David’s hospital room (I’m betting it’s that creepy bunny boiler woman!). Aziza catches Bunny-boiler trying to finish David off. David leaps at Bunny in wolf form. She can see him but the two police officers that arrive cannot. The man who took Bunny’s car to trash it had informed on her…

Aziza must use her powers to lead David back into his body, to bring him to life again. Will she manage to do it? Will Bunny wreak havoc in her mad way all over again? You’ll have to read the book to find out, but this is one weird ride of a tale - and I mean that in the nicest way possible.

Shape-shifters, mind readers and bunny boilers. Just my cup of tea. I am so glad I read this book. I haven’t been given the chills like this with a character for quite some time. And Philomena is one strange chick.

Now for the bit I didn’t connect with:

It took me a while to get my bearings with this book. The first few pages I had to keep back-tracking to check I hadn’t missed something I was supposed to know. It seemed as if this was a second book, and that I should have read the first one before tackling this. The reference to ‘homegirl’ puzzled me to begin with. ‘Homeboy’ was obviously David Healey, and it wasn’t until further reading that I gathered ‘homegirl’ was Aziza’s stepmother. I don’t like to frown when reading, and to do it first off didn’t bode well. However, the writing kept me from switching my mind off. Good, solid prose was what made me read on. If this hadn’t been so well written I would probably have given up because of the beginning.

Other than that quibble, this book was highly enjoyable.

Karly’s Drifter Siren Publishing

 

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Author:  Sage Burnett

Publisher: Siren Publishing

ISBN: 1-933563-56-7

 

REVIEW:

Karly is a photographer, spending her time snapping rodeo riders in action for her latest book. She sleeps in her motor home on location. One horse rider stands out above all the others, Hawk Rivers. Masculine, rugged and just her kind of man, she admits to herself she’d like to get to know him better.

 

However, Hawk isn’t happy about his photograph being used in Karly’s book, or any book for that matter. He comes across as a surly, angry man, but I suspected when first reading, or rather, I hoped, that his hard exterior would melt and show us his softer side. At first, when demanding Karly’s roll of film with his pictures on it, he is met with resistance. Karly is a tough woman, stubborn. She won’t give up the photographic film without a fight.

 

Hawk follows Karly to her motor home, making it quite clear he wants the film, and when he doesn’t get it, he stalks off to his own trailer. In the scene that follows we learn a little about Hawk, but not enough. I suspect, as this book is part of a series, that we would be shown the whole of each character as the books progress, so I’m happy to accept that. I will also point out here, that even though this is part of a series, it isn’t one of those books that leaves you scratching your head wondering what you might have missed in book one. This is also a stand-alone tale.

 

Hawk makes his way back to Karly’s trailer, and, what a nice change to read a book that tells it like it sometimes is. Karly wants Hawk, Hawk wants Karly, so they have each other! I’m not a romance fan, and to be honest had reservations about reading this one but it’s about cowboys and I kind of like them… Imagine my surprise when the book isn’t soppy and full of flowers and romance but how real life can sometimes be. A sexual encounter with two consenting adults just for the heck of it.

 

After their encounter, Karly wakes to find the handsome Hawk gone. I cursed right along with Karly and also shouted out (literally!) “Check he hasn’t stolen your film!” I like it when a book makes me act like I would when watching a movie.

 

A week later, Karly finds herself at another rodeo event with Hawk on the rider’s list. I knew she’d bump into him, after all, that’s what’s supposed to happen, but I did like the way, even knowing this, that I searched him out right along with Karly. Besides, I will admit I wanted her to ‘do it’ with him again. Guffaw! Naughty me.

 

Hawk finds himself more than attracted to Karly and trails her through the crowds, finding himself jealous of the younger rodeo rider speaking to her. Although some books that have this theme of ‘I’ve met her once and am now in love with her’ don’t come across as believable, in my opinion, it works in this book. As suspected, Hawk is a softie inside and I enjoyed another glimpse into his inner feelings and thoughts.

 

They do it again folks! The sex fits with the story, though, so reading the sex scenes as they blend in with the actual tale doesn’t feel like Ms. Burnett wrote ‘just for the market’, so to speak.

 

As the story progresses, incredibly, for such a short tale, I grew to like these two characters. It’s not often an author can pull that off, in my opinion. The dynamics of Karly and Hawk’s relationship change from lust to something more fulfilling, though only Karly, in her strong woman way, admits this to Hawk. Again, Ms. Burnett is able to make this believable.

 

Hawk is a deep man who keeps his feelings hidden. He has been hiding information about a tragedy in his life, and after meeting Karly, he decides to go and visit his mother and confess his secrets. I didn’t expect this twist in the tale, and was pleasantly surprised. Things have changed inside Hawk. His metamorphosis from surly hunk to understanding, caring hunk is one I’m glad I read about. I won’t reveal the ending to this book.

 

Karly’s Drifter is a book that made me think a little about the perception I have of people. Seeing a grumpy, moody person may make me think they are just that, but if I took a closer look and thought about the reasons why this person may be that way, I’d probably find someone with hidden upsets. Someone a little like Hawk.

 

Funniest line: “Hey, I’m parked in section C, if you want to try again at seducing these latest pictures out of me.”

 

Sweetest line: Hawk had kissed her cheek, her forehead, and brushed his lips over hers before he’d run out on her. NB: My heart meeeelllllteeedddd with this line.

 

I have been dancing between three and four points for this book right from the start. Though I enjoyed it very much, it wasn’t quite a four for me, nor is it a three (I am hard to please). Though three champagne flutes are on show, I would consider this a 3 ½.

 

May I take this opportunity to thank you for the chance to read your work, Ms. Burnett.