Edge of Midnight by Shannon McKenna

Book description:

Sean McCloud must protect the woman he has never stopped loving: Liv Endicott. Years ago, Sean had to send Liv Endicott away to save her life. Now he has tokeepher close, very close—for the same reason...

On the very day an arsonist burns down Liv's bookstore in a smalltown in theWashingtonmountains,she finds fate has anothershock in store for her. Amid the smoke, rubble, and tears, Sean McCloud appears, calling her name. He's every inch the man he always was—the man she kept on wanting. But wantingis not the same as trusting, and she doesn't dare let himget tooclose. Yet a ruthless killer is gunning for Liv, and she'll die unless they join forces to unearth a chilling truth—and come together in a blaze ofsearingpassion.

Page 287. What is that you ask? That is the page that I finally figured out that Kevin McCloud (Sean's twin brother) is still alive. Knock me over with an effing feather. Why? Well, I've been reading Shannon McKenna since her first book came out. Behind Closed Doors introduced the McCloud brothers. In all the subsequent McCloud books, it's always been a FACT that Kev McCloud was dead. D-E-A-D. Is the sky blue? Yup. Does the sun rise in the east? Yup. Is Kev McCloud dead? Yup. So while I was slow on the uptake here (as usual), I don't feel bad about it b/c it was so unexpected. For me anyway.

So we already know that McCloud brothers' dad, Eamon McCloud, was one paranoid mother-f-er. We find out a few more nice little tidbits, too. Such as the time that he tattooed Sean and Kevin's name on their thighs b/c they kept playing jokes on him. Or how he wouldn't take his kids to the dentist b/c he was afraid someone would put bugs (tracking device bugs) in their teeth. Yes, he was definitely a stellar father. Of course all of his kids now have some sort of fear that they will end up like the old man.

Sean gave up the love of his life fifteen years earlier so she would be safe. When Liv Endicott delivered a coded note from Kev, he couldn't take the chance that what Kev wrote could be true. Even though just about everyone thought Kev was looney like their father, Sean always had faith in his twin. He ran Liv off the only way he knew how. By being a total rat bastard and saying really mean things. Isn't that how they always run the women off?

Fast forward fifteen years. Liv has returned to Endicott Falls from Boston. Opening her own bookstore/cafe, Liv is finally on her own and loving it. When her bookstore is burned my an arsonist/stalker, she's shocked to find Sean McCloud arrive. Though her family and would-be fiancee try to convince her Sean is responsible, Liv knows better. In no time flat, Liv finds herself in bed with Sean. While it was a little fast to the sack for my taste, it was believeable b/c of the past these two had. Sean doesn't believe Liv is safe and he always follows his instincts. So he sneaks into her room at her parents' house to plant tracking devices all over her stuff. He didn't plan on having s-e-x with her. They never do, do they?

Secondary characters Miles and Cindy return. Miles is now a smokin' hot genius. Though I can't remember if Cindy was TSTL before, she is SOOOOOO TSTL in this book. O-M-G. This goes beyond what I can stomach.

Let me rewind for a minute so you can better understand the TSTL issue I have...

Sean and Liv go on the run after Liv is kidnapped by "T-Rex", who is her arsonist/stalker. Though intially clueless, T-Rex aka Gordon, spills his guts to Liv when he thinks he's about to kill her. Of course he didn't consider that Sean planted a tracking device on her and would arrive at any minute. Liv finds out that this is about Kev and how he was murdered. Everyone thought that Kev committed suicide b/c he was mentally ill. See, there was some sick frak doctor who loved experimenting on people's brains. Not just any brain would do, however. He needed extra smart brains. Which he found in Kev. Sean and Kev were both off the chart geniuses, though people rarely knew that about Sean b/c he never really "acted" like a genius (however geniuses act). So they start trying to decode Kev's sketch book which is supposed to probably lead them to some video tapes. Maybe.

Miles is working on something for Connor (Sean's brother). Seems there's some sicko that is luring really smart people away and then they disappear. He meets them on the internet, so Miles is pretending to be a smart girl. At this point they have no idea that this case and Kev's "death" are related. Enter TSTL Cindy. After overhearing Miles talking to Sean on the phone about one of Kev's old professors, she asks Miles what it's about. Miles tells her is none of her business, stay out of it, it's dangerous, blah di blah. After they almost get it on, Cindy decides she's going to show Miles she's more than a slutty piece of fluff [insert foot stomping here]. She goes to the professor's house and pretends to be a dumb ex co-ed (when she's really a TSTL ex co-ed). She realizes that she messed up soon enough. That night she stays at her sister's house (who is married to Connor) and someone breaks into her parents house. She finally fesses up to Connor and Miles about what she did. Does it end there? No, of course not. She decides that she's going to "disappear off the radar" by continuing Miles' case of the internet predator. She's going to show them she's not as stupid as she seems. Ha. That part really effing annoyed me. She went beyond TSTL.

Eventually they beat the bad guy and Sean leaves Liv again. He's afraid that he will kill her after what the sick frak doctor did to his brain. She just knows that this is the second time he's abandoned her, seemingly for her own good. He makes nice with her and they have make-up sex on the couch in her new shop.

3.5 out of 5 stars.

Missing by Jasmine Cresswell

Book description:

For twenty-five years, multimillionaire businessman Ron Raven played the loving husband and father— to two very different households. But when Ron disappears, his deception is revealed. Now both families are left with questions, while the man who holds the answers is...MISSING.

Megan Raven is desperate to save her mother's Wyoming ranch, used as collateral on a three-million-dollar loan—money that disappeared with Ron. Worse, the loan is being called in by Georgia bank manager Adam Fairfax—brother to Ron's other wife.

Brought together by their families' turmoil, Megan and Adam head south of the border in search of the missing millions. But what they find is a whole new web of lies, secrecy and greed.

I've been a long-time fan of Jasmine Cresswell. When I first read The Daughter, I was a fan for life. That book is in my Top 10 favorite books of all time. I think it's been about 2 years since Cresswell has released a book. Her website said that she was working on a trilogy that was going to be released consecutively, starting in September. It just seemed to take for-evah.

A bigamy plot is a hot button for me. I've only enjoyed one book with this storyline and I think it was because it showed a POV from the bigamist himself. While I still abhorred what he did, it was heart breaking b/c of how many people were hurt, including the bigamist. Mostly I just wonder how the freaking freak an author actually tries to convince the reader that both wives had no idea that the husband was getting it on with someone else, let alone have a separate life all together. In this case, one of the wives finally admits to herself that she had an idea he was having an affair. Honestly, what woman would actually consider that their husband married another woman? Anyway, see how I get going when I get on this topic? LOL

Onward...

When police found Ron Raven missing from his Miami hotel room, they were relatively certain that he met with foul play. If the broken furniture, cut up matress, and missing man didn't clue them in, the blood did. When they went to notify his family, they found something interesting. Two wallets, two Blackberries, two cell phones. This is a little off topic, but who carries a Blackberry AND a cell phone? Anyway, the police sent info to both Wyoming and Illinois, the states in which Ron had a drivers license. After that, the shiznit hit the fan. Both wives (and their respective children) were horrified to find out that their loving, near perfect husband and father was not only dead, but a bigamist as well. Not to mention that he had been married to both of them for over 20 years. Honestly. Are you freaking kidding me?

To make matters worse, good 'ol Ron borrowed 3 million dollars against his first (and legal) wife's ranch for a "business" venture. As if Ron wasn't fucked up enough, he borrowed it from the bank that his second wife's brother owns. Ron enjoyed screwing with people, even if only he knew what he was doing. So he really enjoyed pulling one over on his brother-in-law. When he was presumed dead, his brother-in-law, Adam Fairfax, decided to call in the loan. He wanted to stick one to Ron's first family because it's their fault that their husband/dad was a cheating loser.

Anyway, Megan Raven (daughter of his first wife) takes her plea to Adam to give her a chance to find the money. The Wyoming ranch has been in her mother's family for years and it would devestate her to lose it, especially now. She eventually talks him into working with him.

Chaos ensues.

If it's not bad enough that they owe the money to Ron's "other" family, Megan and Adam are instantly attracted to each other. Of course they both know that nothing can ever come of it, but true love will not be denied. Together they travel to Mexico and after the missing money.

As the 1st of the trilogy, the ending is kind of murky. With assassins after them, a murderous uncle, and their distrust and lust for each other, it is an action packed book. This book was really good as I was reading it and I found that I couldn't put it down. Of course, I was in an airport at the time, so there was nothing else I could have done. It was only as I was starting the review that I realized how laughable some of the book was. Maybe I'm just cynical today.

3 out of 5 stars.

Almost Dead by Lisa Jackson

Book description:

The first victim is pushed to her death. The second suffers a fatal overdose. The third takes a bullet to the heart. Three down, more to go. They're people who deserve to die. People who are in the way. And when she's finished, there will be no one left.

Cissy Cahill's world is unraveling fast. One by one, members of her family are dying. Cissy's certain she's being watched. Or is she losing her mind? Lately she's heard footsteps when there's no one around, smelled a woman's perfume, and noticed small, personal items missing from her house. Cissy's right to be afraid--but not for the reason she thinks. The truth is much more terrifying.

Hidden in the shadows of the Cahill family's twisted past is a shocking secret-a secret that will only be satisfied by blood. And Cissy must uncover the deadly truth before it's too late, because fear is coming home. With a vengeance.

I was soooooo super excited when I read about this book coming out. I am a huge fan girl of Lisa Jackon's earlier work (If Only She Knew, Twice Kissed, Intimacies). Almost Dead is a sequel to If Only She Knew.

Let me just right in and say that I hated the heroine. Hated her. Okay, so I bounced back from kind of liking her to hating her. She was such a whiny bee-yotch. Plus she had such disdain for her aunt and uncle (h/h of If Only She Knew). That really annoyed me because from what I remember, they both did a lot for her. Jackson tried to write this off as Cissy's inability to let people close to her. When you have a psyhcotic mother and a dead beat dad, you're bound to be a little messed up. I get that. Add in a controlling grandmother and you have no chance. I get that, too. It was still annoying.

When Cissy Cahill-Holt (why would she hyphenate when she hated her family?) found her grandmother dead at the bottom of the stairs, she assumed that it was because of a fall. When she learns that her grandmother was murdered, she wonders if her mother, escaped convict Marla Cahill and bonified sociopath, could have anything to do with it. While she wouldn't put much past her murderous mom, she doesn't think that she really doesn't believe that her mother would kill her own family.

When members of her family start turning up dead, Cissy still doesn't think that her mother could be doing it. Her soon-to-be ex-husband, Jack, is determined to protect Cissy and their son, B.J. Having some of the book told from Jack's POV really nails home the fact that Cissy has major issues. Pushing him away before he can push her away, Cissy drove Jack into the arms of another woman. Even though he didn't sleep with the woman, Cissy thinks he did and kicks him out.

Aside from the heroine, another thing that annoyed me is that Jackson kept trying to get the reader to believe the villian was Jack. I'm the first to admit, I SUCK at figuring out who the bad guy is. Totally and completely suck. A good example of how bad I am at putting things together? In JRW's BDB series, I didn't know that John Matthew was Darius until a friend told me (after she laughed at me). But I never for a second considered that Jack was the villian.

We did get the villian's POV. Dude. That is one effed up person. I'm not going to tell you who it is, though. Not even Holly will guess this one.

Overall it was good. It was just a long book. I think 100 pages could have been cut out and it still would have had the same effect.

3 out of 5 stars.

Seeing Eye Mate by Annmarie McKenna

Book description:

He's a shape-shifting wolf, she's a psychic and his other half. In order to catch a killer he has to rely on his Seeing Eye Mate.

Caelan Graham is on the hunt for a shape-shifter bent on killing female mates. As Prime, it's Caelan's duty to protect his entire pack, so it's a good thing he doesn't have a mate of his own to look after right now. Too bad the most alluring female has just walked past his nose.

As a clairvoyant, Tieran Jones has given up on men and their lack of understanding her gift-until Caelan. The man ignites her passion, sets off a vision of a gruesome wolf attack, then shows up in her bed. In wolf form. To top it all off, he keeps insisting she's his mate.

When the attacks continue, Tieran's visions evolve and point in one direction. Caelan's twin brother. With a lack of physical evidence, Caelan must depend on Tieran's sight for clues. An act making her a prime target.

I literally don't know where to start. There are so many problems that I had with this book, but I couldn't put it down. I mean, seriously. What is with that?

This book wasn't short on humor. I'm sure that the author didn't intend for it to be that humorous, but when you have lines like: "One minute Caelan wanted to strangle her, the next, he wanted to lay her out, spread her thighs as wide as they could go and slurp at her delicious pussy.", how can you not laugh. Slurp? Delicious pussy? I'm giggling just thinking about it and I.don't.giggle. Also, Tieran sucked him off like "she was a kid with a lollipop". Hello? Mother here. I don't want to think about kids and oral sex synonymously, thankyouverymuch.

So anyway...Tieran has had bad luck with men. Having psychic visions after sex isn't conducive to a good relationship. So she just avoids them instead. That all changes when she first sees Caelen at a bar where her car breaks down. After coming to her rescue with the tow-truck driver, Tieran thanks him and leaves. She has no intention of seeing him again. Ever. I have no idea why she wouldn't find it strange when Caelen shows up on her doorstep. I mean, really. A total stranger. And it's not like she left her purse or anything. So if I was her, I'd be asking how this freak knew where the fuck I lived.

Of course they immediately start going at it and she winds up pregnant. Caelen knows she's pregnant because he can "smell" it. Yes, people. He can smell it.

Lots of hot sex ensues, with the plot seemingly thrown in as an afterthought. The problem is that Tieran is seeing the "Mate Murderer", but she thinks it's Caelen's brother, Eli. See, the wolf in her dream that's murdering women has a scar on its' shoulder, just like Caelen.

The villian is so obvious it's laughable. The fact that Caelen doesn't know who it is makes it even more funny. Come on. I never know who the villian is, but I did know who this one was. Good Gawd. Oh, and how's this for a cliche? When Caelen goes to hunt the killer, he lives the killer to protect Tieran. Seriously.

Then there was the fact that Caelen kept calling Tieran "my own". That annoyed the ever-loving shit out of me. "Good morning, my own." or "Eat your breakfast, my own.". I wanted to take that phrase and shove it back down his throat. Ugh.

Eli's (the brother) book is next. Hey, I told you it was a train wreck. There are way too many train wrecks in my TBR pile. I've already read Eli's book and the review is coming shortly.

3 out of 5 stars.