Bea Reviews Cold Cruel Kiss by Toni Anderson

Series: Crossfire #4; Cold Justice #14
Read As A Stand Alone: Yes
Publisher: Toni Anderson Inc,
Source: the author in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: Jan. 28th, 2021
Buying Links: Amazon* | Apple Books* | Barnes & Noble | Google Books | Kobo |
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

When the daughter of the US Ambassador to Argentina is kidnapped in broad daylight on Christmas Eve, the FBI sends one of its best negotiators to investigate.

Supervisory Special Agent Max Hawthorne arrives at an embassy thrown into chaos as US and local law enforcement hustle to track the young woman. Is this a simple kidnap for ransom, or part of a political agenda? Could it be something more sinister?

Lucy Aston has something to hide. Preferring to stay in the shadows, the lowly, fashion-challenged office assistant resents being assigned to help Max. But Max can’t resist a puzzle…he’s starting to suspect Lucy Aston is not what she seems.

When rumors emerge of a suspected Russian spy operating out of the embassy, Lucy’s carefully constructed life begins to crumble. As she and Max race to rescue the ambassador’s daughter, Lucy has to do whatever it takes to keep her cover from being blown—even if that means betraying the man she’s falling for.

Steph Reviews A Stitch in Time By Kelley Armstrong, Narrated by Samantha Brentmoor

Publisher: K.L.A. Fricke Inc
Format Read: Audiobook
Source: the author in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: October 13, 2020
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

Thorne Manor has always been haunted…and it has always haunted Bronwyn Dale. As a young girl, Bronwyn could pass through a time slip in her great-aunt's house, where she visited William Thorne, a boy her own age, born two centuries earlier. After a family tragedy, the house was shuttered and Bronwyn was convinced that William existed only in her imagination.

Now, twenty years later Bronwyn inherits Thorne Manor. And when she returns, William is waiting. William Thorne is no longer the boy she remembers. He’s a difficult and tempestuous man, his own life marred by tragedy and a scandal that had him retreating to self-imposed exile in his beloved moors. He’s also none too pleased with Bronwyn for abandoning him all those years ago.

As their friendship rekindles and sparks into something more, Bronwyn must also deal with ghosts in the present version of the house. Soon she realizes they are linked to William and the secret scandal that drove him back to Thorne Manor. To build a future, Bronwyn must confront the past.

Review & Giveaway: Pursuit Of The Truth by K.D. Richards

Series: West Investigations #1

Publisher: Harlequin Intrigue 
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: Jan. 26th, 2021
Buying Links: Amazon* | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Google Books | Harlequin | Kobo |

* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

His skills can keep her safe.

Her secrets could get them killed…

Security expert Ryan West’s worst fears come to life when hotel CEO Nadia Shelton is pushed in front of a taxi and nearly killed. Someone will do whatever it takes to find the brother Nadia thought was dead, and the only way Ryan can protect her as they uncover the truth is to stay strictly professional. But the sparks igniting between them are nearly impossible to ignore.

From Harlequin Intrigue: Seek thrills. Solve crimes. Justice served.

For more action-packed stories, check out the other books in the West Investigations series by K.D. Richards:

Book 1: Pursuit of the Truth

Bea Reviews Cry Wolf by Charlie Adhara

Series: Big Bad Wolf #5
Read As A Stand Alone: Yes but not recommended
Publisher: Carina Press
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: Jan. 18th, 2021
Buying Links: Amazon* | Apple Books* | Barnes & Noble | Google Books | Kobo | 
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

Don’t miss this thrilling installment in Charlie Adhara’s suspenseful paranormal mystery series, Big Bad Wolf.

Agent Cooper Dayton never thought anything could be harder than solving murders. Until he had to plan a wedding.

After taking down an old adversary, Agent Cooper Dayton of the Bureau of Special Investigations has earned a break. Not that planning a wedding to his sexy shifter partner, Oliver Park, is necessarily stress free, but it’s better than worrying about the ominous warning, delivered months ago, that Cooper’s life is in danger.

When he’s dragged to an event by his family, Cooper braces for an awkward evening, but instead finds himself in the middle of an ugly feud between Park’s ex and a rebel pack leader. What was supposed to be a quick outing turns into a full-blown murder investigation after the pack leader ends up dead, Park’s ex goes missing, and Cooper and Park are sent a series of disturbing wedding gifts that are somehow connected to it all.

The list of potential suspects is long, and with the bodies piling up, Cooper must turn to the one person he trusts the least: the villain he’s already put behind bars once and who has nothing to lose by lying and everything to gain if Cooper is out of the picture—for good.

Bea Reviews Lethal Intent by Cara Putman

Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: January 12th, 2021
Buying Links: Amazon* | Apple Books* | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Google Books | Kobo |
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

When Caroline takes a job with a promising medical start-up, she believes she’s on the side of angels . . . until she’s asked to go too far.

When the judge she’s clerked for dies, Caroline Bragg starts over as in-house counsel for a pharmaceutical start-up working on innovative adult stem cell research with the potential to save thousands of lives. But when her charismatic new boss ignores her legal advice, Caroline's left unsettled. Then the company launches into headlines when a furious family demands answers regarding how the start-up used their deceased relative’s cells for innovation—with neither informed consent nor agreement for compensation. Caroline must defend the work of the company even as she realizes informed consent couldn’t have been given and the business is operating on questionable legal and ethical grounds.

Caroline’s friend Brandon Lancaster is at risk of losing his life’s work—a group foster care called Almost Home that has provided for sibling groups needing a landing place. He’s desperate for a solution, but then the pharmaceutical company’s he invested his last dime in is losing value fast. He’s been counting on the eventual sale of the start-up to save Almost Home, but with every other effort failing, he’s out of options and out of time.

With the start-up in trouble, Caroline's and Brandon’s problems intersect. He needs the story to end so he can salvage his investment, and she wants the truth to come out. Will their relationship survive? And will they survive the changes that are inevitably headed their way?

Review & Giveaway: The Forever Girl by Jill Shalvis

Series: Wildstone #6
Read As A Stand Alone: Yes
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: January 12th, 2021
Buying Links: Amazon* | Apple Books* | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Books-A-Million | Bookshop.org | Google Books | IndieBound | Kobo |

* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis does it once again with a heartfelt story of family, forgiveness, and secrets that have the power to change the course of more than one life.

When Maze returns to Wildstone for the wedding of her estranged bff and the sister of her heart, it’s also a reunion of a once ragtag team of teenagers who had only each other until a tragedy tore them apart and scattered them wide.

Now as adults together again in the lake house, there are secrets and resentments mixed up in all the amazing childhood memories. Unexpectedly, they instantly fall back into their roles: Maze their reckless leader, Cat the den mother, Heather the beloved baby sister, and Walker, a man of mystery.

Life has changed all four of them in immeasurable ways. Maze and Cat must decide if they can rebuild their friendship, and Maze discovers her long-held attraction to Walker hasn’t faded with the years but has only grown stronger.

Review & Excerpt: Agent Under Siege by Lena Diaz

Series: The Justice Seekers #2
Read As A Stand Alone: Yes
Publisher: Harlequin
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: January 1st, 2021
Buying Links: Amazon* | Apple Books* | Barnes & Noble | BooksAMillion | Book Depository | Google Books | Harlequin | IndieBound |
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from publisher:

Can they outsmart a killer …who’s already escaped justice?

The Kentucky Ripper is in prison…or is he? When no one will help Teagan Ray find the man who really abducted her, former profiler Bryson Anton agrees to investigate. But soon their search takes two jolting turns—brutal attacks from a cunning suspect…and a powerful mutual attraction.

EXCERPT & GIVEAWAY: Layla by Colleen Hoover

I've never read Ms. Hoover but many of my blogger friends are big fans and this book sounds interesting. I don't know when I'll get to it, but I want to read it. Today, I'm part of the blog tour for the book's release. I have an excerpt with an intro by Colleen herself, and a giveaway. Enjoy!

Find Colleen online:

Website: http://www.colleenhoover.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorColleenHoover/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/colleenhoover
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5430144.Colleen_Hoover 

Bea Reviews Don't Look Back by Christie Craig

Series: Texas Justice #3
Read As A Stand Alone: Yes
Publisher: Forever
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: December 15th, 2020
Buying Links: Amazon* | Apple Books* | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Google Books | Kobo |
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

New York Times bestselling author Christie Craig's thrilling romantic suspense about a by-the-book FBI agent who must trust a risk-taking detective for help tracking down her sister's killers -- perfect for fans of Kat Martin, Sharon Sala, and Brenda Novak!

FBI agent Brie Ryan's latest mission is personal. She's posing as a waitress at the Black Diamond strip club, the same club where her estranged half sister worked until she turned up dead. When Brie's undercover assignment is compromised, she turns to the only man she knows who can help her: Connor Pierce, a too-sexy-for-his-own-good, rule-breaking cop with a knack for solving cold cases.

When someone breaks into Brie's apartment, Connor's detective skills aren't the only things that kick into overdrive. Although his job demands he remain detached, now he finds himself tempted not only by Brie's beauty but also her intelligence and bravery. As the investigation-and their attraction-grows more intense, lives are in jeopardy, and Connor finds the most important rule he must break is his own. But can he put his heart on the line?

Bea Reviews A Wild Heart by Celeste de Blasis

Series: Wild Swan Trilogy #2
Read As A Stand Alone: Yes but not recommended
Publisher: Bookouture
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: December 8th, 2020
Buying Links: Amazon* | Apple Books* | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Google Books | Kobo | 
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from the publisher:

Alexandria Falconer gazes around the honeyed land of Wild Swan, the extraordinary horse farm she built up from nothing in the border state of Maryland. It has been Alex’s sanctuary through years of turmoil, and she has come of age in this land of opportunity. But the storm clouds of civil war are gathering, and Alex knows she has a choice to make to protect her family and maintain the precarious peace at Wild Swan.

When Alex’s son dies tragically, she is shattered. It is only through caring for her adopted daughter, two-year-old Gincie, that Alex starts to overcome her grief and find comfort with her beloved husband Rane once more. But when Rane is called away to aid the Union war effort, she is left bereft.

Alex’s heart is with Rane, but at home she has the sole responsibility of shielding Gincie and the rest of her family from the danger creeping ever closer to their door. When a charming soldier arrives at Wild Swan, Alex reluctantly gives him shelter, but the two form a bond and when news arrives of Gettysburg, she is torn with worry for men on both sides of the battlefield. With Gincie by her side, she undertakes a dangerous journey to fight for her family, her principles, and the man who holds her heart…

Celeste De Blasis’ epic and heart-wrenching Wild Swan trilogy continues, available in eBook for the first time. Perfect for readers who love Poldark, Outlander and Daphne du Maurier.

A Wild Heart was originally published as Swan’s Chance.

Bea Reviews Toxin Alert by Tyler Anne Snell

Series: Tactical Crime Division: Traverse City #2
Read As A Stand Alone: Yes
Publisher: Harlequin Intrigue
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: December 1st, 2020
Buying Links: Amazon* | Apple Books* | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Google Books | Kobo |
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

After biological terrorism rips through an Amish community, the Tactical Crime Division is called in to find out why.

Following a deadly anthrax attack, TCD’s biological weapons expert Carly Welsh springs into action. Problem is, the Amish trust no one—especially not an FBI special agent. That’s where Noah Miller comes in. Even though the rancher left the fold decades ago, the community trusts him…and so does Dr. Welsh. But even their combined courage and smarts might not be enough against sinister forces that want them both to perish.

From Harlequin Intrigue: Seek thrills. Solve crimes. Justice served.

EXCERPT: Stolen to Wear His Crown by Marcella Bell

I have another Harlequin romance excerpt today, last one of the month. In January I'll have another one. 

This week's author is Marcella Bell. Marcella lives in the mostly-sunny wilds of Southern Oregon with her husband, children, father, and three mismatched mutts. The dry hot summers and four distinct annual seasons of the region are a far cry from the weird rainy streets of Portland, OR, where she grew up, but she wouldn’t trade her quirky mountain valley home for anyplace else on the earth. As a late bloomer and a yogini, Marcella is drawn to romance that showcases love’s incredible power to transform.

Bea Reviews Justified Misfortune by Lori Matthews

Series: Brotherhood Protectors World
Read As A Stand Alone: Yes
Publisher: Twisted Page Press
Source: the author in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: Oct. 13th, 2020
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | * associate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.


Blurb from goodreads:

Hudson Riggs has returned to his family's ranch after years spent traveling the world. The former Navy SEAL accepted a position as a Personal Security Specialist, a job that didn't leave much free time. He never expected his visit to his hometown to turn into another job. His former High School flame has been arrested for murder but Hudson's gut instinct is she didn't do it. All he has to do now is prove it.For Sunny Travers, being back in Canyon Springs is bittersweet. She desperately misses her life in California but her grandmother needs her. Sunny's world flips upside down when she's arrested for killing the local hero. Now the citizens of Canyon Springs have turned against her and she's forced to accept help from the man who broke her heart all those years ago.Hudson knows Sunny hasn't forgiven him. Hell, he hasn't forgiven himself for how he left things but all his emotions take a back seat when someone tries to kill Sunny. Can Hudson protect Sunny long enough to apologize to her and right old wrongs or will the killer get to her first? (less)

EXCERPT: The Wife He Needs by Brenda Jackson

Today's excerpt is from romance legend Brenda Jackson. She was one of the first authors I downloaded when I first got a Kindle, many years ago. Ms. Jackson is a New York Times bestselling author of more than one hundred!!! romance titles. Brenda lives in Jacksonville, Florida, and divides her time between family, writing, and traveling. Email Brenda at authorbrendajackson@gmail.com or visit her on her website at brendajackson.net.

Excerpt & Giveaway: Gold by Maureen A. Miller

I have another excerpt and giveaway today, for another new romantic suspense. Gold, by Maureen A. Miller . It released this week and takes place in a state I'd love to visit, but not live - Alaska!

USA TODAY bestselling author, Maureen A. Miller worked in the software industry for fifteen years. She crawled around plant floors in a hard hat and safety glasses hooking up computers to behemoth manufacturing machines. The job required extensive travel. The best form of escapism during those lengthy airport layovers became writing.

Maureen's first novel, WIDOW'S TALE, earned her a Golden Heart nomination in Romantic Suspense. After that she became hooked to the genre. In fact, she was so hooked she is the founder of the JUST ROMANTIC SUSPENSE website. (I didn't know that! I like that website. ~ Bea)

Giveaway and Mini-Excerpt: Justified Misfortune by Lori Matthews

Image from Lori Matthews website

Hello! Come on in and get comfortable. Today I have an excerpt and a giveaway for a romantic suspense, Misfortune Justified, by Lori Matthews. It's a stand alone story in a shared world series, the Brotherhood Protectors. Read the excerpt, then if you like it and you are in the USA, enter to win a paperback or ebook copy of the book.

Lori grew up in a house filled with books and readers. Some of her fondest memories are of reading in the same room with her mother and sisters, arguing about whose turn it was to make tea. No one wanted to put their book down! She was introduced to romance because of her mom’s habit of leaving books all over the house. One day she picked one up. She still remembers the cover. It was a Harlequin by Janet Daily. Little did she know at the time that it would set the stage for her future. Sge went on to discover mystery novels. Agatha Christie was her favorite. And then suspense with Wilber Smith and Ian Fleming. 

She loved the thought of combining her favorite genres, and during high school, she attempted to write her first romantic suspense novel.

EXCERPT: A Soldier Under Her Tree by Kathy Douglass

Welcome to my stop on the Harlequin blog tour for A Soldier Under Her Tree by Kathy Douglass. I have an excerpt for your enjoyment today. :)

Kathy Douglass came by her love of reading naturally - both of her parents were readers. She would finish one book and pick up another. Then she attended law school and traded romances for legal opinions. After the birth of her two children, her love of reading turned into a love of writing. Kathy now spends her days writing the small town contemporary novels she enjoys reading. Kathy loves to hear from her readers and can be found on Facebook.

Bea's Review of A Wild Hope by Celeste de Blasis

Series: Wild Swan #1
Read As A Stand Alone: Yes
Publisher: Bookouture

Release Date: October 8th, 2020
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Buying Links: Amazon* | Apple Books* | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Google Books | Kobo |
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from publicist:

Banished from her uncaring family home for her growing friendship with older neighbor St. John, Alexandria Thaine is unprepared for the new life she encounters with her distant cousins in England’s West Country. She blossoms under the warmth of the Falconers, and as she throws herself into the thrilling danger of the family’s smuggling trade, Alex forms an unbreakable bond with the eldest son, Rane.

But just as Alex begins to imagine a future in Devon with Rane at her side, the death of her older sister forces her back home to care for her sister’s motherless twins. Still yearning for Rane, Alex grows to love the helpless babies, and as she rekindles her friendship with St. John, she finds herself caught between her heart and her home.

When the opportunity comes to start anew in Maryland’s lush horse country, Alex faces the agonizing choice between the life she dreamed of and the promise of the new world. But starting over in a golden land on the brink of war brings unforeseen dangers to her door, and when Alex’s new family is threatened, can she find the strength to risk her happiness today for the wild hope of a brighter tomorrow?

The sweeping, epic and emotional novel by beloved storyteller Celeste De Blasis, available in eBook for the first time. Perfect for readers who love Poldark, Outlander and Daphne du Maurier.

A Wild Hope was originally published as Wild Swan.

Excerpt & Giveaway: Confident in Chaps by Em Petrova

Welcome! I'm delighted to share an excerpt today from Em Petrova's new romance, Confident in Chaps. Em and I met, virtually speaking, about 10 years ago when we both worked for the same, now defunct, publisher. Em would send me stories to copy edit and I would wrangle them into submission. But even then Em was writing her own books. 

Em Petrova was raised by hippies in the wilds of Pennsylvania but told her parents at the age of four she wanted to be a gypsy when she grew up. She has a soft spot for babies, puppies and 90s Grunge music and believes in Bigfoot and aliens. She started writing at the age of twelve and prides herself on making her characters larger than life and her sex scenes hotter than hot. 

She burst into the world of publishing in 2010 after having five beautiful bambinos and figuring they were old enough to get their own snacks while she pounds away at the keys . In her not-so-spare time, she is fur-mommy to a Labradoodle named Daisy Hasselhoff and works as editor to other authors. 

You can find Em Petrova at http://empetrova.com 

Sign up for Em's NEWSLETTER *Never miss a giveaway or sale! *Receive sales on other books you might enjoy *Subscriber only giveaways *Exclusive content Copy this link and paste into your browser: http://www.subscribepage.com/w4b4s7 

Excerpt & Guest Post: Laura Hunsaker and Dreams of the Past from Last Chance Beach

Hi everyone! Thanks for having me here at Bea’s Book Nook! (We're delighted to have you! ~ Bea)

Usually during the summer we go to the beach. Obviously with the world going how it is, we didn’t travel this summer, so I found another way to enjoy the beach but without leaving my home.

Last Chance Beach- where romance and dreams go to live again, and wishes do come true.