Is it just me or does this year seem to be flying by?
WHAT I READ IN MARCH:
The Butterfly Garden by Dot Hutchison – AMZ * BN * Audible
Near an isolated mansion lies a beautiful Garden.
In this garden grow luscious flowers, shady trees…and a collection of precious “butterflies”—young women who have been kidnapped and intricately tattooed to resemble their namesakes. Overseeing it all is the Gardener, a brutal, twisted man obsessed with capturing and preserving his lovely specimens.
When the garden is discovered, a survivor is brought in for questioning. FBI agents Victor Hanoverian and Brandon Eddison are tasked with piecing together one of the most stomach-churning cases of their careers. But the girl, known only as Maya, proves to be a puzzle herself.
As her story twists and turns, slowly shedding light on life in the Butterfly Garden, Maya reveals old grudges, new saviors, and horrific tales of a man who’d go to any length to hold beauty captive. But the more she shares, the more the agents have to wonder what she’s still hiding…
Uh, wow. This Book was enthralling. I could not stop reading.
When The Butterfly Garden opens, the ‘garden’ has already been raided, some of the women have been rescued and obviously the bad guys have been identified, but…. BUT, the police want to know exactly what went on and what kind of atrocities were visited upon the victims. They have a young woman named Maya in their interrogation room who appears to be some sort of leader in the eyes of her fellow captives, and they are determined to get her to tell them exactly what they need to know. The story then bounces back and forth between Maya’s time spent in the garden, with a few scenes of her life previously, and her current interaction with the FBI. As the whole gruesome tale unfolds I was captivated trying to mentally figure out what was going to happen, which of the women made it out okay, and exactly WHO Maya really was.
The Verdict: This book was seriously dark and twisted, and might not be for everyone, but I really enjoyed. Looking forward to book two.
A Dangerous Seduction by Jillian Eaton – AMZ * BN * Audible
A MURDER….
When Lady Scarlett Sherwood’s husband is killed in a riding accident that turns out to be no accident at all, she becomes the number one suspect in a murder investigation that takes the ton by storm. Her accuser? None other than the dark, ruthless Sir Owen Steel, Captain of the Bow Street Runners… and the only man Scarlett has ever loved.
A BETRAYAL…
Owen was just the poor son of a baker when Scarlett spurned him for a highborn lord. Now he is one of the most powerful men in England, but he never forgot the woman who left him humiliated and heartbroken. He always vowed he would make Scarlett pay for her treacherous betrayal, and what better way to seek revenge than to see her imprisoned for murder?
A DANGEROUS SEDUCTION…
But old passions are hard to ignore, and one kiss is all it takes for Owen and Scarlett’s sizzling chemistry to be reignited. Soon they find themselves swept up in an affair that could have dangerous consequences for them both. Because there is still a murderer on the loose, and he’s just found his next victim…
Scarlett.
I one-clicked this after seeing Mandi from Smexybooks raving about how much she loved it on Twitter. It’s also available on KU, so I though I would mention it in this post.
I adore a second chance love story so OF COURSE I was going to head to Amazon and one-click as soon as I read the blurb. I adored Scarlett. I adored Owen. Scarlett fell in love with him when they were just young adults and didn’t really know much about love and hard times, and thought that what she really wanted was to be accepted by society and remain in her comfortable world. She marries someone else and learns that what she really should have done was follow her heart. Being accepted and comfortable is nothing if you can’t stand the man you married. Owen is deliciously hard and stubborn and lets his anger lead him during the investigation into Scarlett’s husband’s murder, but in the end I just knew he would realize he was wrong. Honestly, I was surprised by who the actual killer ended up being.
The Verdict: I’m so excited to find a new author to glom! This was such an enjoyable read that I’m looking forward to the next book in the series.
Barbarian’s Lady by Ruby Dixon – AMZ * BN * Audible
You’d think a tall woman would fit in on a planet of seven-foot-tall aliens, but even on the ice planet, I’m still a weirdo and an oddity. I’m everything all the other cute, dainty human women aren’t.
One guy in particular – the alien Harrec – is determined to embarrass me by pretending he’s interested. He’s a jokester that flirts like mad and hits on me constantly just to make me feel foolish. He gets under my skin. He makes me so frustrated I want to scream.
When a side-trip to a glacier turns into a nightmare and the two of us are forced to survive alone, I see another side to the enticing blue alien. Even with no one else around, his compliments keep coming and I start wondering if the attraction between us…is real.
I’m sure no one is surprised that I read this the day it was released. This is like book thirteen or something and we are running out of big, blue studs who needs mates. What the heck am I going to do then?
The Verdict: I hope this author finds new ways to keep this series going because I lurve it.
Joyzal’s Prize by Michelle Mills – AMZ * BN * Audible
He’s found his mate and he’s keeping her.
Jacole is supposed to leave in the morning to start training at Quantico. Instead she’s been kidnapped by asshole space pirates who are about to sell her and the other women they’ve captured as sex slaves to the highest bidder. Oh hell, no. Jacole vows they’ll soon realize they’ve caught the wrong damn human. She organizes a mutiny to take down the f*kers who’ve kidnapped them…but the plan is interrupted when someone blows a hole in the side of the ship.
A seven foot tall lethal warrior emerges from the rubble with a weapon in each clawed hand. Jacole is speechless before this display of manly glory. This Bounty Hunter is easily the handsomest man (alien) she’s ever seen. Her panties are instantly wet. He touches her, kisses her, throws her on his ship and claims her, and vows she’s the female he’s waited all his life to find. His Bride!
What the hell?
Well, he might be a lover like no other and an aggressive and driven male she could actually…admire, but Jacole doesn’t do forever. In order to earn her love, he has to earn her trust.
I enjoyed the first book in the series, but not near as much as I did this one. I felt like the characters were more fleshed out, the world-building seems to be becoming clearer and more defined and the romance allowed to build at a more believable pace. Also, Jacole is a wonderful heroine. I really liked her.
The Verdict: Looking forward to book three.
WHAT’S UP NEXT:;
Sparrow by L.J. Shen – AMZ * BN * Audible
Troy Brennan
Every southie in Boston knows that name. The son of a dead mobster. The heart throb with steel blue eyes. “The Fixer” who can make or break you in this city.
Oh, and my new husband.
Sparrow Raynes
That’s me. No one seemed to remember my name up until he barged into my life.
But then he caged me.
Kidnapped me.
And killed every chance I had to runaway from the place where we grew up.
Put simply, Troy Brennan clipped my wings.I have dreams, big ones, but I doubt he’d ever let me chase them. I have no idea why he’d decided to take me as his wife. But I do know this: pissing off this man will not do me any good. At all.
Sparrow is a standalone, full-length novel. It contains graphic violence and adult situations some may find offensive
I’m not even sure what this book is about, but it sounds dark and gritty and I’m here for that.
Born in Fire by K.F. Breene – AMZ * BN * Audible
Supernatural Bounty Hunter isn’t the sort of thing you see on LinkedIn. But with a rare type of magic like mine, I don’t have many options. If people found out what I could do—what I am—I would kiss my freedom goodbye.
So dangerous or not, the job is mine. And it was going fine, until an old as sin vampire stole my mark, and with it, my pay day.
Knowing I’m poor and desperate, he has offered me a job. I’ll have to work by his side to help solve a top secret case.
Everyone knows not to trust vampires. Especially a hot elder vampire. But without any other jobs coming up, I’m stuck. As I uncover a web of lies and treachery, revealing an enemy I didn’t know existed, the truth of my identity is threatened. I might make it out alive, only to end up in a gilded cage.
My UF/PNR read for next month. I’ve never read this author before despite her extensive backlist. Excited.
Serendipity by Lisa Clark O’Niell – AMZ * BN * Audible
It’s a dog eat dog world for Ava Martinez. On the surface her life seems charmed – beauty, brains, a successful veterinary practice – but Ava harbors a secret. And one rash act on a foggy night threatens to destroy it all. The niece of one of the most ruthless crime lords in the country, Ava has lived her life as an unwilling pawn in her uncle’s illegal game. When Ava accidentally stumbles upon an unknown man lying unconscious in the trunk of a car – a man destined for death at the hands of her uncle’s men – she risks her life to get him to safety and to thwart her uncle’s nefarious scheme. Little does she know that lifting the lid of that trunk will be like opening Pandora’s box.
When Assistant District Attorney Jordan Wellington – the man she rescued – brings his dog to the door of her veterinary clinic, she does her best to thwart his amorous intentions, but fate has a different idea. When a walk in the park, a friend’s blind date, seemingly everything throws them together, the normally strong-willed Ava finds herself irrevocably drawn into a seductive and deadly game. Because if Jordan ever regains his memory of that night, both of their lives could be in danger.
I’ve heard good things. I’m wondering if this is more romantic suspense or more mystery/thriller. I’ll report back.
The post Angela’s KU- March Reads and What’s Up Next appeared first on Fiction Vixen.
This post first appeared on Fiction Vixen – Romance And Urban Fantasy Book Reviews, please read the originial post: here
