Ramblings

Yes, believe it or not, I am still alive. I have been horrible keeping up with this blog with the exception of my book reviews. I actually feel as though I have lost a couple months. And I haven't even been droning. 

Let me share some of the highlights. I actually have a lot of pics but I don't want to overload anyone so I will catch up a bit at a time. 

I have been designing at least one piece jewelry a week though I am soooo far behind on uploading pics to Year of Jewelry Project. I have been horrible about the ABS Challenges. 

After we lost Boo, we got a new puppy. I was thinking that she would keep me from missing her quite as much but she is definitely Saje's girl. Keyla is a handful especially since she doesn't get along with Pooka. 

She is growing up and will be starting puppy classes soon as she is almost five months old. She is going to be a really good dog. 

Starting to get in better shape because she needs to we walked every evening. I am having issues with tendinitis in my left elbow and shoulder. Just went through a series of steroids and it appears to help somewhat. 

I also went to see the Terracotta Warriors exhibit up in Seattle. I got some good pics of that but I will share those in a different post. And I promise that I won't disappear for another couple months. 

Book Review: The Drowned Girls

He surfaced two years ago. Then he disappeared ...

But Detective Angie Pallorino never forgot the violent rapist who left a distinctive calling card—crosses etched into the flesh of his victim’s foreheads.

When a comatose Jane Doe is found in a local cemetery, sexually assaulted, mutilated, and nearly drowned, Angie is struck by the eerie similarities to her earlier unsolved rapes. Could he be back?
​
Then the body of a drowned young woman floats up in the Gorge, also bearing the marks of the serial rapist, and the hunt for a predator becomes a hunt for a killer. Assigned to the joint investigative task force, Angie is more than ready to prove that she has what it takes to break into the all-male homicide division. But her private life collides with her professional ambitions when she’s introduced to her temporary partner, James Maddocks—a man she’d met the night before in an intense, anonymous encounter.

Together, Angie and Maddocks agree to put that night behind them. But as their search for the killer intensifies so does their mutual desire. And Angie’s forays into the mind of a monster shake lose some unsettling secrets about her own past . . .

How can she fight for the truth when it turns out her whole life is a lie?

* * * * *

Wow!   Detective Angie Pallorino has to be one of the most broken people that I have ever heard or read about without being one the wrong side of the law.  Instead Angie works with sex crimes and she is looking to get justice for women that have been raped, mutilated and murdered.

Detective James Maddocks has taken a step down the ladder to be able to get a job near his daughter.  His first case is a doozie and his partner is Angie.  Sparks flew between them both personally and professionally as they work to solve this crime and perhaps start putting Angie back together.

If I keep running across books this good, I will never catch up on my sleep.  Angie is a character that I found really easy to emphasize with and Maddocks is dark, dreamy and caring.  Their partnership is one that we all dream about finding.  I highly recommend this book to any of my readers who enjoy reading thrillers, romantic suspense or police procedurals.  

*** I received this book at no charge from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.  All opinions expressed within are my own.

Book Review: King of Clubs

Covert FBI agent Court Gentry loves his brothers, his job, and his Harley-Davidson. Once he loved a girl, too, but when she broke his heart, he put his emotions on lockdown…until she crosses his path again.

On vacation six years ago, free-spirited Lauren Montgomery fell hard for Court Gentry. She returned home happier than ever, only to descend into a spiral of abuse by her ex-husband, Stephan. When Stephan threatened to kill any man who touched her, Lauren cut Court from her life—but not from her heart.

When Lauren and Court reunite after her friend marries his brother, Court guards himself against the person who made him feel such intense passion and pain. Except the undeniable spark between them is impossible to contain and heating up fast. Six years ago, it was love. Now, it’s just lust. Keeping it merely physical is a foolproof plan…right?

When Stephan is released from prison, Lauren can’t outrun her past anymore, and Court vows to protect her. But with Lauren in imminent danger, Court must question his heart and risk his life to save the woman he never stopped loving.

* * * * *

I first fell in love with the Gentry brothers when I had the opportunity to read Alex Gentry's story Jack of Hearts. Little did I know that better was to come.  This story is about Court, the middle brother, and we finally get a chance to really get to know him and how his past intersects with his hoped for future.

This book is hot but it is more the sexual tension between Court and Lauren.  Yes there is some sex but nothing to graphic.  It is also filled with danger, love, family loyalty and witty dialogue.  All the needed ingredients for a book that will keep me up past my bedtime.

I do recommend KING OF CLUBS to any of my readers who enjoy a good romantic suspense as this one will keep you on your toes. I can hardly wait for Nate's story to come out.

 *** I received this book at no charge from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.  All opinions expressed within are my own.