Tuesday, May 30, 2017

TURN ME LOOSE (ALPHA OPS)

CRIMES OF PASSION

When she was on the verge of adulthood, Riva Henneman committed a crime and got caught red-handed. Luckily, she was busted by a HOT young cop...who also had a big heart. A one-time SEAL candidate, Officer Ian Hawthorn knew how it felt to have your dreams derailed. So he gave Riva a choice: face prison time or work for him as a confidential informant. But even a get-out-of-jail-free card comes with a cost. . .



Years later, Ian still remembers beautiful, innocent Riva--and the smoldering attraction they shared but both tried to ignore. Will they have a second chance, now that they're back in each other's lives? Riva's work with inner-city children has led to a surprise run-in with Ian, who has his own agenda--one that could put them both in grave danger. Is their desire worth the risk this time?



The high octane suspense and super sizzling romance continues with Turn Me Loose, the third novel in the Alpha Ops series by Anne Calhoun. 

Release Date: May 30, 2017
Alpha Ops #3 full-length book, #6 in series
St. Martin's Press
Romantic Suspense
Review copy provided by publisher

Liza's Review:

Turn Me Loose is somehow the first book I've read from Anne Calhoun. While Turn Me Loose is the third full length book in the Alpha Ops, I had no trouble reading it as a stand-alone story.

Overall, I liked Turn Me Loose. I loved that after Riva has been busted in college for dealing drugs, she had totally turned her life around. I love she was also helping others turn their lives around after they had made mistakes. When Ian Hawthorn walks into her farm-to-table restaurant seven years later, everything from the past comes crashing back into her life. I loved that neither Riva nor Ian had really forgotten about each other over the years.

Riva offers to help Ian take down the leader behind the drugs coming into Lancaster. The fact that Riva knows who was behind the drugs seven years ago as well as now was a bit of an issue with Ian. I understood once she revealed who is behind the drugs why she had stayed quiet. I loved her motivation was taking care of the inner-city kids working in her restaurant and taking care of her mom.

I liked the connection between Riva and Ian. They had really great chemistry and I loved they finally acted on it once they got to Chicago. I really liked Riva and Ian as a couple overall, but wished they had both been more honest with one another sooner about everything in their past. I loved the overall takedown of the bad guy in this book and know Ian and Riva had to work together to make it happen.

Turn Me Loose was an enjoyable read and a good story for fans of romantic suspense. Again I read the series out of order and had no trouble keeping up with everything going on with the various characters. Even with other characters from prior books being mentioned in Turn Me Loose, it really was more centered on Riva and Ian, so I found it easy to follow the story line.

Rating: 3 stars (B-)

Nikki’s Review:

Reading this book really got my OCD tendencies going. It's book 6 in the series, and I haven't read the previous ones! I never do that! I'm happy to say that after a few chapters my mind was put at ease. I didn't feel like I was missing any pieces of the puzzle. This book does well as a stand-alone novel.

Riva has turned her life around. I like a good redemption story. It puts a real human feel to the characters. I thought the storyline of Riva building a business that helps disadvantaged and at risk youth was brilliant. She was giving back to the community and trying to keep some kids from making the same poor decisions she did as a teen.

I struggled a bit with Ian's character. He wasn't totally likeable at the beginning. I got a slight sense that he was attracted to Riva at the beginning of the book, but it fizzled. There wasn't a whole lot of chemistry; at least I didn't feel it. I did end up liking Ian after a while, but it took time. Both of the characters were enjoyable, I just didn't care for them together. I didn't feel the connection.

Part of redeeming oneself is making tough decisions and doing the right thing. And Riva's decision to help bring down her own father, who's a criminal, couldn't have been easy. There's no love loss between father and daughter, but still, it had to have hurt her in some way.

This book was enjoyable. Ian and Riva make a good team when it comes to fighting crime. I think if you're a fan of romantic suspense, then give this book a shot! 

Rating: 3 Stars (B)





ONE TASTE OF ANGEL (IRON NORSEMEN MC #1)

ONE TASTE OF ANGEL by Violetta Rand
SMP Swerve
Publication Date: May 30, 2017
eBook ISBN: 9781250147813; Price: $3.99


Description
Their love was the stuff of Shakespeare - two star-crossed lovers from rival MC's, divided by their families' bloody history, but fate has given Eagle and Serafina a second chance. Can the biker and the stripper find their redemption in Violetta Rand's sexy standalone romance, One Taste of Angel?

Eagle 
I’ve bled for my club. Taken four bullets. Buried eight brothers in six years. Screwed a hundred women. And only loved one. The one I lost. But there's something about Serafina that reminds me of just exactly what was taken from me. Not just because I can't resist a damsel in distress.

Serafina
To Eagle, I’m dead. Murdered and cremated, my ashes interred at the local cemetery. Part of a past I left long ago to save his life. Seeing him now, touching him again makes me weak, even if he doesn't recognize the woman I've become. Since my escape from Holly Beach five years ago, I’ve lived by my own rules. And no matter how much I love Eagle, he’s not going to break those rules.

"Riveting, gritty cast of characters! I was captivated by this intimate glimpse into the volatile MC world. Violetta Rand's ability to portray the essence of true love is enjoyable. Great read!" -USA Today Bestselling Author D.L. Roan


Author Bio
Raised in Corpus Christi, Texas, Violetta Rand spent her childhood reading, writing, and playing soccer. She lives in Anchorage, Alaska and spends her days writing evocative contemporary and historical romance. When she’s not reading, writing, or editing, she enjoys time with her husband, pets, and friends. Violetta is the author of Viking Hearts.

Author Links
Twitter: @ViolettaRand

Buy Links


One Taste of Angel by Violetta Rand Excerpt


Eagle

“You owe me,” I say as I close the distance between us. “I’ll take a kiss as payment.” Serafina looks lost, but she doesn’t resist when I reach her and cup her face between my hands, pulling her closer, lowering my mouth over hers.
I pause for a brief moment, looking her deep in the eyes, waiting for that spark to ignite into the inferno I know is already burning strong between us.
“D-don’t,” she half pleads.
But I do. Her lips part and my tongue strokes against hers. The fire is immediate and all-consuming. I tangle my fingers in the length of her hair, angling her head for better penetration, my tongue embedded so deep I can feel the back of her throat. The way she tastes only inspires me to want to kiss and lick that hot wet pussy I saw earlier. There’s nothing ordinary about her. I swallow her moans, running my hand up and down her arm.
Kissing her long and deep only reinforces the attraction—makes my cock throb and ache like I haven’t had a piece of ass in months.
“No.” She pushes me away, wide-eyed and frazzled.
“Serafina,” I chant her name like a holy vow. “You can’t deny what we’re feeling.”
“I can. And will.”
“Listen, baby . . .”
“Don’t call me that! There’s no way in hell you’ve earned that right.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I don’t want you to touch me again.”
Why? Chemistry like this doesn’t happen too often. Almost never. And I’m not prepared to let it slip through my fingers without a fight, or at least a plausible explanation. “Are you married?”
I never thought to ask before.
“No.”
“In a committed relationship?”
“You’re way off, Eagle.” She hugs her center, laying more bricks in that defensive wall.
“Enlighten me, then. I have all night.”
“I don’t.” She fakes a yawn. “Some of us work for a living.”
I smirk at her judgmental tone. “Do you think I sit around on my ass all day?”
“That prez patch says you don’t have to work hard to get what you want.”
“For a girl who claims not to know me, you’re pretty free with your opinions.”
“Yeah, well, I’ve been around enough to understand the inner workings of an MC. Not much difference between your rules and a regular company, now is there?”
I rub my chin, liking the hotness of her smartass mouth. The more she talks the more intrigued I get. “Maybe not, pretty girl, but I guarantee my ideas are a lot more innovative than something some asshole in a suit will think up in his corner office.”
She laughs. “I doubt it. We’re standing in a bedroom inside the home of one of the most notorious cartel lords in the United States. I’ll bet on the guy in the suit.”
“Come here.” I grip her shoulders and yank her close again. Our lips meet for a more desperate and demanding kiss. This time, her tongue wrestles mine for control. Bad. And for a girl who didn’t want anything to do with me ten minutes ago, she sure changed her mind.
I break the kiss and tip her chin upward. “I want to fuck you, Serafina.”
“No.” She gives me a defiant pout, but I can see through her denial. Her eyes are filled with hunger. “I need a drink.”
I need a goddamned bottle of tequila—and a cold shower. “What do you want?”
“Whiskey and coke.”
Unable to deny that beautiful face anything, I’ll get it for her. But first . . . I move quickly, gathering her clothes and shoes, and stuff them in the suitcase she opened earlier. Then I zip it up and carry it to the door.
“Hey!”
“What?” I ask.
“You can’t leave me here with nothing to wear.

Liza's Review:

Violetta Rand is a new-to-me author and after reading the blurb to One Taste of Angel, I knew I had to give her books a try. I honestly haven't always been a huge fan of MC books, but found myself enjoying the first book in the Iron Norsemen series.

I overall enjoyed the romance between Eagle and Serafina/Angel. I will say it made me laugh That Angel changed her name to Serafina. Serafina made me immediately think of Seraphim angels, and kinda felt like it blew her name change cover. I honestly don't know much about the MC world, but I felt like Angel's return happened a little too easily. Especially once we learned that some of the brothers had died directly due to Angel's faked death. 

I enjoyed watching Angel and Eagle reconnect and become a couple again. They had amazing chemistry from the moment they saw each other again. One Taste of Angel is a super sexy and steamy romance. While I didn't love the violence that occurred a few times during the book, I do get that is a big part of a MC book. As I really liked so many of the characters in the Iron Norsemen MC, I feel like I will give other books a try in the series. 

Rating: 3 Stars (B-)