19 Souls (Sin City Investigation #1) by J.D. Allen

* * *

Private Investigator Jim Bean is a straightforward, to-the-point man. When his latest client, Sophie Evers, asks him to find her brother Daniel, Jim has no idea how complicated his life is about to become.

Daniel is not Sophie's brother. He is her most coveted prey. Clinging to the belief that they belong together, Sophie kills Daniel's real sister to manipulate Jim into flushing Daniel out of hiding. She will create the "perfect life" for the only man she's ever loved, no matter how many people she must kill along the way.

When Jim discovers the truth about Sophie, he's driven to set things right before her delusional plan claims even more souls.

Source: advance e-galley provided in exchange for an honest review


19 Souls is one heck of a thriller that starts with a gruesome scene where you immediately know who the bad guy or rather, girl is. Readers, she's bat shit crazy! I'll be honest, that first scene was so disturbing that I wondered if I could handle the rest of the book but I stuck with it because well... I couldn't put it down. Sophie is an intriguing villain in that she has one foot in reality and the other way off in some depraved fantasy land which is I suppose how most sociopaths work. She manages to maintain a semblance of normalcy with a day job that funds her ultimate goal: collecting knives and weaponry, stalking her childhood crush, Daniel and killing anyone in her way. It's scary how well she's planned every little detail including recruiting extra help in the form of an unsuspecting PI. Jim, who has an interesting if unfortunate backstory, is normally good at judging character but even he is fooled by Sophie's act. It's too bad that he's so darn good at his job because he's mortified when he realizes how he was used and that he single-handedly led her to her prize. Now he's determined to protect Daniel and capture Sophie before she hurts more people.

This is one suspenseful read and strangely enough, as unhinged as Sophie was, I was also fascinated by the glimpses into how the wheels were turning in her mind. It's an intense cat and mouse game as Jim uses every resource to catch up to her and anticipate her next move. I was so anxious as the action reached its climax and I felt the ending could have gone a number of ways. Since this is the start of a series and I liked it so much, I'll definitely want to read the next book when it comes out. I'm curious to know how Jim moves on from this and if the ending comes into play down the road.

~ Bel

Hell Breaks Loose (Devil's Rock #2) by Sophie Jordan

* * * 3/4



Hell hath no hunger like a man let out of a cage . . .

Shy and awkward, First Daughter Grace Reeves has always done what she’s told. Tired of taking orders, she escapes her security detail for a rare moment of peace. Except her worst nightmare comes to life when a ruthless gang of criminals abducts her. Her only choice is to place her trust in Reid Allister, an escaped convict whose piercing gaze awakens something deep inside her. Reid is nothing like her other captors.

He’s tougher, smarter…and one blistering look from him makes her hotter than any man ever has.

Reid spent years plotting escape and revenge . . .years without a woman in his bed. For this hardened felon, Grace Reeves isn’t just out of his league—she’s from another planet, but that doesn’t stop him from wanting her. Escaping Devil’s Rock was tough, but resisting this woman could be the end of him. For a man with nothing to lose, protecting her . . . claiming her as his own, becomes more necessary than his next breath.


Source: advance e-galley provided by Avon for an honest review


Sophie Jordan writes fun romances. Her Devil's Rock series featuring alpha males who are all about protecting what's theirs is no different though she always manages to soften them up a bit. Sheer pleasure and escapism is all the reason you need to read this!

Reid planned his escape from prison so that he could seek revenge on the man responsible for putting him there in the first place. He's forced to reassess his plans when he unwittingly gets involved in the kidnapping of the First Daughter. Now instead of just taking care of his business he has to worry about her safety and that of his brother who is one of the kidnappers. Grace wishes that she hadn't outsmarted her security detail because now she's hiding away in god knows where with some morally-challenged folk, frightened for her life. She senses that her kidnappers seem to be afraid of Reid and so she tries to appeal to his good side. Reid wants no part of this but he's ultimately a decent man and can't leave Grace to these thugs. The two of them must lie low while he figures out how to save them both.

I've already mentioned that Reid is a decent man. His humble backstory is sad and explains how he landed behind bars. Grace has lived her entire life in the public eye on the campaign trail with her parents. Constantly under pressure to present herself as a dutiful daughter who's part of a picture-perfect family has become tedious and not to mention a bitter experience. Everything she does is always up for scrutiny and heaven forbid she have a plan for her own life. She also comes off as a bit naive to me only because she hasn't ever had the chance to live normally. Despite the privileges she's had throughout her life, she's not elitist - something I appreciated about her. And though she has been kidnapped, the situation has its silver lining in that she gets to see what she's made of. I liked the connection that she and Reid made however difficult and dangerous it was to get there. The only thing that gave me pause was the ending. Grace and Reid falling in love has its own set of complications. It felt too easy for me but then again, I am reading this for the happily ever after and I expect them to get there some way, somehow. I guess it's up to our imaginations to fill in those blanks.

Hell Breaks Loose is another action-filled romance with some angst that's overall a fun, quick read. A criminal who turns things around. A young woman who unleashes her inner badass. Yeah, you need to spend some time with Reid and Grace!

~ Bel

Never Tear Us Apart by Monica Murphy Promo and Review

We're celebrating the release of NEVER TEAR US APART by Monica Murphy!

Title: Never Tear Us Apart

Author Name: Monica Murphy

Genre: NA Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Bantam January 5, 2016

Purchase Links:
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1KzdZSa
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1R3zkuq
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Book description:

Crazy how eight years can disappear in an instant. One look at Katie Watts, and I'm a fifteen-year-old again--the one who risked everything to save a terrified girl from her twisted kidnapper. She's grown-up now--beautiful, quiet, composed--and telling her story to the world. A story that involves me in more ways than you can imagine. She used to call me her guardian angel. Sure, I risked my life, but she was worth dying for.

I need to make contact with her. Just to ensure that she's safe.

Somehow we reconnect. We become friends . . . but I want more. I want to make her mine. And she wants me too. Does she know who I am? Has she figured me out? Not yet. But she will. In the meantime, I need to make sure that whatever hold that animal had on her is gone.

So, yeah, I'm stealing these moments with her. Savoring them. Knowing, dreading, that she'll soon find out who I really am. And everything will fall apart. All because of that twisted, perverted monster sitting on death row. Her kidnapper. A convicted serial killer.

My father.

Be sure to stop by Monica's Facebook Page daily for giveaways!

About the Author:

New York Times, USA Today and international bestselling author Monica Murphy is a native Californian who lives in the foothills below Yosemite with her husband and three children. She's a workaholic who loves her job. When she's not busy writing, she also loves to read and travel with her family. She writes new adult and contemporary romance and is published with Bantam and Avon. She also writes romance as USA Today bestselling author Karen Erickson.

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Review:

Never Tear Us Apart reaches down into your chest and rips your heart out.  Katie is a brave woman attempting to rebuild a life after a horrific event as a child.  She's spent years feeling afraid and alone - the only person who had a hope of understanding was forced away from her.  

Will forged a new life after his was blown apart by what happened to Katie.  He's moved on, or so he thought.  One mention of Katie's name and he's obsessed - he has to find out how she is, if she's healed and moved on.  

Never Tear Us Apart is dark and twisted and to say these characters are flawed is a gross understatement.  It's a deeply engrossing story that will keep you on edge and leave you dying to know what comes next for these beautifully broken people.  Never Let You Go is set to release in May and I cannot wait!  

Any fan of Monica Murphy will fall into this story with ease.  If you are new to Monica Murphy, be prepared to have your jaw hit the floor and stay up all night.  

~Shel