Book Review – Dangerous Witness

11 Wednesday Apr 2018

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Book Review, Dangerous Witness, Katie Reus, Redemption Harbor series

Dangerous Witness

Redemption Harbor Series

by Katie Reus

He foolishly let her go…

When the woman he loved walked out of his life, Brooks Alexander was certain she did so willingly—with the cool two-million his father had offered as incentive to walk away. So when the former Marine scout sniper learns that Darcy didn’t take a dime of his father’s payoff, Brooks realizes he made an epic mistake. He’s determined to make things right and reclaim his woman. Except neither task is as easily accomplished as he first thought.

Now her life is in his hands…

Wedding planner Darcy is no stranger to disappointment when it comes to the men in her life. When Brooks accused her of taking his father’s bribe, she was devastated that he thought so little of her—and realized he never knew her at all. So she walked away with her pride intact and her heart broken. Now, months later, an overheard conversation puts Darcy in the crosshairs of a dangerous criminal with powerful connections. With nowhere else to turn, she has no choice but to put all her trust in Redemption Harbor Consulting—and its cofounder, the man who broke her heart.

This is the first in the series that I’ve read and while technically it’s a stand-alone novel, I probably would have benefited from having read the other stories. Reus does a pretty good job of giving new readers the info they need but I think that there are certain nuances and details that I missed out on.

While I enjoyed Brooks as a hero, he was definitely everything you could want as a part of this elite unit of mercenaries – strong, tough, smart, and ruthless. He also loves Darcy with his whole heart … even if he did go and screw it up at the very beginning 🙂

If I was Darcy I’d definitely have made him work for it a bit more but I also have to appreciate the lack of games and dramatics between the two. There’s hesitation on her part and a bit of groveling on his, but they do eventually figure it out. I also like that Darcy is smart enough to realize that this is something much bigger than she can’t handle on her own. She listens to the professionals and lets them help guide her.

And speaking of danger, Reus sure knows how to crank things up. The action and suspense element of this story was balanced really well with the romance portion. Overall, an enjoyable read and some more stories to add to my TBR pile because I’m dying to get my hands on the other stories in this series 🙂

Spotlight – Mistletoe Me, Baby

07 Tuesday Nov 2017

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour, Contest, Sneak Peek

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Katie Reus, Mistletoe Me Baby, O'Connor Family series

I absolutely LOVE this time of year – all the sweet holiday reads just make me so very very VERY happy 🙂 SQUEE!!!

*****

Mistletoe Me, Baby

O’Connor Family series

by Katie Reus

Blurb:

She needs a fake fiancé…

With the holidays fast approaching, Miranda Flores makes up a fake fiancé so her well-meaning family will get off her back. She just never expected them to suddenly show up on her doorstep a couple weeks before Christmas, wanting to spend the holidays with her. So she turns to Nolan O’Connor, her sexy best friend, and asks him for the favor of a lifetime: she needs him to act the part of her fiancé until her parents leave town.

He wants forever…

Pretending to be engaged to the woman he’s already fallen for? No problem. Nolan agrees to Miranda’s fake engagement scheme because as far as he’s concerned, she’s the one. But he plays his role too well, because soon the entire town thinks they’re engaged and things get more complicated—especially since he can’t pretend with her anymore. Then tragedy strikes and Miranda tries to shut him out, but Nolan won’t let her. He’ll do whatever it takes to convince her that he wants to make her his forever.

*****

Excerpt:

Nolan knocked on the already open door to Miranda Flores’ office at the local community center in Holly. Miranda usually kept the door open, wanting everyone to know they could talk to her at any time.

Phone against her ear, she glanced up and gave him a blinding smile that was a punch to his solar plexus. Which was pretty standard for every time he saw her.

She held up a finger as she continued talking. As she spoke, she was looking at something on her laptop.

Leaning against the doorframe, he crossed his arms over his chest and took the rare opportunity to drink in the sight of her. Her light brown hair was down around her face in soft waves. As she talked she was smiling, which was standard for her. Whenever they talked on the phone, he could hear the smile in her voice. Rolling his shoulders once, his gaze stayed on her mouth, even as he told himself to look away. He’d fantasized about nibbling on her bottom lip too many times. Hell, he wanted to kiss her everywhere, to claim her, to let the whole damn town know she was his.

But that wasn’t happening anytime soon.

She’d made it very clear nearly ten months ago when they’d first met that she wasn’t looking for any sort of relationship. At the time, she’d just taken her nephew, Mateo, in when her sister had dropped him off and bolted. Her sister had made Miranda his legal guardian. Only recently had Gloria gone into rehab for drug addiction.

As Miranda laughed, there was a little sparkle in her brown eyes. But they weren’t just brown. He’d studied them enough to know there were little flecks of amber in them. Every chance he got, he studied the woman. Watching her, being around her, was his own personal addiction. One he didn’t plan to give up.

“To what do I owe this pleasure?” Miranda’s sweet voice pulled him out of his head.

He blinked once and realized he’d been staring, and that she was off the phone. Clearing his throat, he pushed up from the doorframe as she stood and stepped around the desk. He started to answer when she frowned and closed the distance between them in record time.

Frowning harder, she cupped his cheek. “What happened?”

Nolan wanted to lean into her touch, to savor the feel of her smooth, soft hand on his skin. Today she had on knee-high boots and a red sweater dress that hugged all her curves. “Ah… what?” he wanted to put his own hand over hers to hold her there, but managed restraint. Somehow.

“You have a bruise. Did you get hurt at work?” Concern rolled off her in waves, her distress clear.

Bruise? “Oh, this is nothing. Maguire did this during our last hockey practice.”

“Aren’t you guys on the same team?”

He snorted. “Yeah. My brother is an equal opportunity bulldozer when he plays.”

She stroked her thumb over his bruise and he felt the sensation all the way to his dick. God, this woman had him all twisted up in knots. He’d get hurt more often if it meant she would touch him like this. Feeling her hand on him was heaven.

Abruptly she dropped her hand and her cheeks flushed pink, as if she realized how intimate that hold could be construed. “I might exchange words with Maguire later.”

He laughed, but it felt strained. Having her touch him like that, whether she meant it intimately or not, affected him. Physically and otherwise. He’d been respecting her boundaries because hell, he wanted to be her friend. She was a sweet, sexy woman and in the last year they’d become friends. Best friends, even. Other than his brothers and family, she was the person he wanted to call with any sort of news first. “I’m sure he’ll be very scared of you,” he murmured.

Narrowing her gaze, she said, “I can be very scary.”

“Yeah, scary in the way Mrs. Claus is.”

“Are you comparing me to Santa Claus’ wife?”

“Nope.” Not even a little bit. “Maybe one of his elves, though.” A really sexy elf. He could easily visualize the petite and curvy woman dressed up in a dirty ‘sexy elf’ Halloween costume. Or Christmas. Whatever. The thought of her dressed up in anything remotely dirty—or just flat out naked—was something he shouldn’t be contemplating now.

She mock-jabbed him in the side. “Very funny.”

*****

Author Info:

Katie Reus is the New York Times, USA Today, and IndieReader bestselling author of the Red Stone Security series, the Moon Shifter series and the Deadly Ops series. She fell in love with romance at a young age thanks to books she pilfered from her mom’s stash. Years later she loves reading romance almost as much as she loves writing it.

However, she didn’t always know she wanted to be a writer. After changing majors many times, she finally graduated summa cum laude with a degree in psychology. Not long after that she discovered a new love. Writing. She now spends her days writing dark paranormal romance and sexy romantic suspense. Her book Avenger’s Heat recently won the Georgia RWA Maggie Award for Excellence in the fantasy/paranormal category.

*****

Also available in the series:

Merry Christmas, Baby

Amazon | Amazon print

Audible | Barnes & Noble

Google Play | iBooks

iTunes (audio) | Kobo

Tease Me, Baby

Amazon | Amazon print

Barnes & Noble Nook

Google Play

iBooks | Kobo

It’s Me Again, Baby

Amazon kindle | Amazon print

Audible (audio) | Barnes & Noble Nook

iBooks | iTunes (audio)

Kobo

*****

Giveaway:

Kindle Fire, signed copies of each book in the O’Connor Family series, and a Christmas ornament

https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/4cf78adb594/

*****

Spotlight – Saved by Darkness

22 Wednesday Feb 2017

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour, Contest, Sneak Peek

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Darkness series, Katie Reus, Saved by Darkness

We’ve seen a couple of Katie Reus books and this one looks fantabulous, with lots of 5 Star reviews on Goodreads. I gotta admit – I just love the idea of a demon/dragon hero!

*****

Saved by Darkness

A Darkness Novel

by Katie Reus

Blurb:

He thought he lost her decades ago.

Half-demon, half-dragon shifter Ian McCabe is hellbent on getting back the only woman he’s ever loved. When Fiona O’Riley kicked him out of her life decades ago, he thought she was gone for good. Now that she’s back, nothing will stop him from claiming her. But she wants nothing to do with him—or his family.

She’ll do anything to save him.

Fiona knows that Ian is the only male for her. The only way to keep him alive is to stay away from him. But when tragedy strikes and they discover a wicked agenda for the mass murder of humans, they must work together to take down the enemies that threaten everyone. But there’s so much more on the line. As their undeniable desire intensifies, they’re faced with an unbearable choice. If Fiona and Ian succumb to their temptation, mating could be the last thing they ever do.

Amazon: http://smarturl.it/87g212

Barnes & Noble: http://smarturl.it/zlhr9m

iBooks: http://smarturl.it/lsbc1f

Kobo: http://smarturl.it/k54o4g

*****

Excerpt:

His brother flipped open a thin manila file on the desk and revealed an 8×10 glossy of…

Fiona.

Ian blinked once. Twice.

He stared at the picture, feeling his entire body heat up. It had been years since he’d seen her. He had a picture of Fiona, but it was from decades ago and it was in one of his safes—along with other treasures. That was not a myth about dragons—they loved treasure. Given her modern style of dress, this was taken fairly recently. “What is this?” His voice was always raspy, but even more so now.

Rory flicked a glance at Liberty before looking back at Ian. “This is what I wanted to talk to you about. Finn wants to speak to this female. She lives on the outskirts of his territory. Not in it, but close enough. And we needed to know if she is a trustworthy female. I know you know who she is, but I don’t know the nature of your relationship.” He stared at Ian questioningly.

Ian stood abruptly. He’d shared almost every part of his life and history with Rory. Fiona was the only thing he’d left out of that narrative. He simply couldn’t talk about her. It hurt too bad. Made his dragon want to take over, to burn everything and everyone to ash. “She’s trustworthy.” Without saying anything further he strode from the room. He heard his brother curse softly behind him, but ignored him.

Rory was lucky he hadn’t burned a hole in the ceiling and just flown out of there. Which yes, was insane, but Ian wasn’t in control now. He needed to get to the Stavros estate as soon as possible. The Alpha wolf who ran this territory wouldn’t be happy to see him since he didn’t plan to call first, but the male could just deal with it. Seeing Fiona’s picture again had his most primal nature clawing to the surface.

He couldn’t even convince himself that he’d buried memories of her because it was a lie. He thought of her every damn day. The woman lived inside him, was his mate. It didn’t matter that they’d never crossed that final line and mated. That he’d never marked her—that she was mated to another. Another female would never do for him. Now to know that she was somehow nearby, close to Finn’s territory… He was going to find out everything from the Alpha.

Then he was going to see her. He knew he shouldn’t. She was mated, taken. She’d broken his heart into a thousand shards and gone off with another male. Another male her family deemed worthy. Too late he realized she’d done it to protect him, that she’d sacrificed her own happiness to keep him alive. Or it had been an attempt to—but he didn’t need anyone’s protection. He would have kept them safe, alive. He just wished she’d known that, trusted him enough.

Now there was no logical reason to go to her. Still, he would see her. He had to.

*****

Author Info:

Katie Reus is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Red Stone Security series, the Darkness series and the Deadly Ops series. She fell in love with romance at a young age thanks to books she pilfered from her mom’s stash. Years later she loves reading romance almost as much as she loves writing it.

For more information on Katie please visit her website: www.katiereus.com. Also find her on twitter @katiereus or visit her on facebook at: www.facebook.com/katiereusauthor.

*****

Praise for the novels of Katie Reus

“Has all the right ingredients: a hot couple, evil villains, and a killer action-filled plot. . . . [The] Moon Shifter series is what I call Grade-A entertainment!” —Joyfully Reviewed

“I could not put this book down. . . . Let me be clear that I am not saying that this was a good book for a paranormal genre; it was an excellent romance read, period.” —All About Romance

“…a wild hot ride for readers. The story grabs you and doesn’t let go.” —New York Times bestselling author, Cynthia Eden

“Reus strikes just the right balance of steamy sexual tension and nail-biting action….This romantic thriller reliably hits every note that fans of the genre will expect.” —Publishers Weekly

“Prepare yourself for the start of a great new series! . . . I’m excited about reading more about this great group of characters.” —Fresh Fiction

“Wow! This powerful, passionate hero sizzles with sheer deliciousness. I loved every sexy twist of this fun & exhilarating tale. Katie Reus delivers!” —Carolyn Crane, RITA award winning author

“A sexy, well-crafted paranormal romance that succeeds with smart characters and creative world building.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Mating Instinct’s romance is taut and passionate . . . Katie Reus’s newest installment in her Moon Shifter series will leave readers breathless!” —Stephanie Tyler, New York Times bestselling author

“Both romantic and suspenseful, a fast-paced sexy book full of high stakes action.” —Heroes and Heartbreakers

“Katie Reus pulls the reader into a story line of second chances, betrayal, and the truth about forgotten lives and hidden pasts.” —The Reading Café

“Nonstop action, a solid plot, good pacing, and riveting suspense.” —RT Book Reviews

“Mating Instinct was a great read with complex characters, serious political issues and a world I am looking forward to coming back to.” —All Things Urban Fantasy

*****

Giveaway:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/5440a3541064/

*****

Book Review – To Catch His Mate

29 Tuesday Dec 2015

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Book Review

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Book Review, Crescent Moon Series, Katie Reus, Savannah Stuart, To Catch His Mate

To Catch His Mate

Crescent Moon Series

by Savannah Stuart, Katie Reus

When she ran, she didn’t think he’d follow…

Pack princess Alyssa Clare was trying to come up with ways to get out of her arranged mating to alpha wolf Reece O’Shea—until she meets the powerful male. After getting to know him, mating doesn’t seem like such a bad idea anymore. But when he makes it clear she’s just a business arrangement for him and his pack, she calls off the mating and heads south to stay with a friend to lick her wounds in private.

But he’s not willing to let her go without a fight.

Reece can’t let Alyssa go, not when he’s completely fallen for the sweet, sexy female. He doesn’t care about the arranged mating deal, he just wants her and has no idea why she ran. To win her back he infiltrates another alpha’s territory, knowing it could mean his death. Luckily Grant Kincaid allows him in his domain—as long as Alyssa is okay with it. Convincing her that she’s all he wants is a bigger challenge than he imagined. But he’s not giving up, because he knows she’s the one he’s meant to be with forever.

Length: NOVELLA

I have not read anything in this series so I have nothing else to base this story on but what I have been given is great. The characters are fully developed as is the story and I didn’t feel like any of it is incomplete or that it needs previous stories to get the full depth.

I really liked Alyssa and I understand why she ran. New feelings have enough volatility so adding in a misunderstanding can easily throw things into a whirlwind. And while that could be a tired, overused plot I think that here it works. One of the reasons is that there is something very appealing about Reece as he tries to win her back. Maybe it is the added paranormal parts that keep it going, although that could be easily overdone as well, but whatever it is I really enjoyed it.

Although the Were part is important, at the core it is a story of a man who is trying to win back the woman he loves. It’s sweet and hot and fun. And I’m definitely interested in seeing where else this world goes.

Spotlight – Bound to Danger

29 Tuesday Jul 2014

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour, Contest, Sneak Peek

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Bound to Danger, Deadly Ops series, Katie Reus

It’s a day for thrillers as we now take a look at Katie Reus’s Bound to Danger … and yummy hero Cade O’Reilly.

*****

Bound to Danger

by Katie Reus

Genre: contemporary romance/thriller

Blurb:

At a benefit dinner, community activist Maria Cervantes overhears two men plotting a terrorist attack that could rock Miami to its core. But before she can alert authorities, she’s almost killed in a massive explosion—and wakes up in a hospital with no memory of what happened. As the sole survivor of the attack, she is now a person of interest to the NSA—and especially to Agent Cade O’Reilly. Because Maria is the one woman Cade has never been able to forget.

Years ago, they were closer than either was willing to admit—until Cade disappeared when Maria needed him most. Now he’s sticking by her, whether she likes it or not. Because the memories locked inside her mind could hold vital clues to the next attack. Because terrorists want her dead—and because he never wants to let her go again.

Amazon | Barnes and Noble

*****

Excerpt:

Cade weighed his options. He could head back the way they’d escaped and make an attack using her back door as a point of entry. But he didn’t know how many people were inside. There wasn’t time to call in a backup team. Whoever was in her house was likely looking for her or trying to find a way to locate her. Or hell, maybe they were setting up a trap for when she came home. He’d have to call in a bomb squad to check her house out.

But first, he was going to plant a tracker on that truck, then get Maria to safety. Under other circumstances he would have handled things much differently, but he didn’t like leaving Maria exposed and unprotected. So instead of infiltrating her house and taking the intruders on, one on one, he took the less risky path. Right now she was his priority, and if something happened to him, she’d be left unprotected. He’d been tasked with guarding her, and he was damn sure going to.

Sticking to the shadows, he headed back the way he’d come but bypassed Maria’s hiding spot and raced down the street until he could cross over without being noticed. From there, getting to the truck unseen wasn’t a problem. Even with the streetlights, Cade was used to hiding when necessary. There were plenty of vehicles and trees along the street, all providing the perfect cover.

Once he’d reached the yard next to where the vehicle was parked, he hid behind a tree and watched Maria’s house across the street. Now he could see a faint light in the upstairs room. Her bedroom. The knowledge that some strangers were in her home, invading her privacy, made a surprising pop of anger surge through him.

Taking a calming breath, he focused on the truck. Now that he was closer and from his angle, he could see into the backseat through the windshield. There was just one shadow, wide enough shoulders to be male, and he could see the same red glow of the cigarette. From the way the shadow was angled, it was clear the man was watching the house. Which was good for Cade.

Ducking down, he crouched and moved out from his hiding place. Staying low, he half crawled his way across the sidewalk and then rolled onto his back when he was directly next to the truck. Slowly, he pulled one of the standard trackers he always carried with him out of his pants pocket. He slid the small switch on, removed the adhesive backing, and reached under the chrome running board. As he did, the hushed sound of two male voices drifted closer.

His heart raced against his chest, his adrenaline pumping overtime as he pressed the tracker into place. When he was sure it would stick, he rolled away and made his way to the closest tree. The moment he ducked behind it, he barely heard the sound of multiple vehicle doors opening, then closing almost simultaneously. He didn’t dare move from his spot, though he drew his weapon in case he’d been spotted.

When the engine roared to life and he heard the truck pull away from the curb, only then did he fish out his cell phone. It was time to track these bastards.

*****

Author Info:

Katie Reus is the New York Times, USA Today, & IndieReader bestselling author of the Red Stone Security series, the Moon Shifter series and the Deadly Ops series. She fell in love with romance at a young age thanks to books she pilfered from her mom’s stash. Years later she loves reading romance almost as much as she loves writing it. However, she didn’t always know she wanted to be a writer. After changing majors many times, she finally graduated with a degree in psychology. Not long after that she discovered a new love. Writing. She now spends her days writing dark paranormal romance and sexy romantic suspense.

*****

Giveaway:

20 copies of Bound to Danger

Kindle Paperwhite and a print copy of Bound to Danger

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/4cf78a93/

*****

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