Review: Red Fox (EiT #2) by Karina Halle

Red Fox by Karina Halle
Experiment in Terror #2
324 pages
Goodreads
Amazon │ Barnes & Noble
*** Stars

With Book Two of the Experiment in Terror Series, Perry Palomino and Dex Foray trade in the stormy Oregon coast for the unforgiving deserts of New Mexico. 

In the for­got­ten town of Red Fox, New Mex­ico, a Navajo cou­ple is tor­tured by things unseen and by motives unknown. Wild ani­mals slink through their house in the dark, a bar­rage of stones pound their roof nightly, and muti­lated sheep car­casses are turn­ing up on their prop­erty. Armed with a cam­era and just enough to go on, Perry and Dex travel to the des­o­late locale, hop­ing to film the super­nat­ural occur­rences and add cred­i­bil­ity to their flail­ing web­cast. Only their show has a lot more work­ing against them than just grow­ing pains. Tested by dubi­ous ranch hands, a ghost from Dex’s past, and shapeshift­ing decep­tion, the ama­teur ghost hunters must learn to trust each other in order to fight the most ancient of myths…or die trying.

Red Fox is the second installment in the Eit Series.  It follows our two main characters Dex Forray and Perry Palomino and there adventures in ghost....hunting?  I'm not yet sure what to call it or classify these two as.  Neither do they at this point.  So far in the story I know Perry has some "special" abilities and there's hints that maybe Dex does as well.  Lot's of foreshadowing and tension building  so far in terms of the relationship between the these two and what they're capable of.    Not so much in the first book, but in this one we get a better feel for Perry's feelings and even see some reciprocation from Dex.  I can sense their relationship is going to be complicated, much like the individual.    

This book takes them to New Mexico where they're called on to help a friend...help a friend.  What ensues when they arrive is nothing short of crazy.  It's to be expected I suppose given their choice of profession, but holy $^&t! Perry is one strong chick, that's all I can say.   At this point in the series I've realized that Perry is accident prone and a definite magnet for trouble.  The minute Dex leaves her alone she's in instnat peril.  Which at first annoyed me because really? Are we gonna play the damsel in distress part?  However, I've come to realize that's part of her charm.  Anyways, Dex and Perry are helping out a friend who's been experiencing poltergeist activity.  They live on this huge ranch in the middle of the desert which is prime real estate for weird happenings.   The cast of characters in this book are all very intriguing as well as suspicious.  During the entire book, I wasn't sure who was the culprit even though it was well obvious someone was behind the sinister activity, which definitely kept me interested in the story, characters as well as the outcome.

So far I'm liking this series.  I enjoy the fact that you have to follow these characters from book one as it gives readers a better appreciation for their growth, which I'm hoping I see in future books.  It's fun, light, creepy and sweet with a Supernatural-esque feel to it.

Review: Sketch by Laramie Briscoe

Sketch
Laramie Briscoe
190 Pages
Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble
*** Stars

My name is Devin, but everybody calls me Sketch. I opened my own tattoo shop two years ago, and I’ve finally gotten to the point where I’m going to be able to give my wife everything she’s ever wanted. I’m going to be able to take time off and spend a day a week with her. In fact, tonight, I stopped and grabbed some wine, got her flowers, and those chocolates she likes. 

What I wasn’t prepared for was to be met at the front door by her carrying her sh*t out. 

She loves me, but she’s not in love with me anymore. What kind of bulls*it excuse is that? I’ve left her alone too often, I’ve been completely focused on one goal, and apparently she’s sick of waiting. 

So here I stand. Half the man I was, p*ssed as f*ck, because while I was busy making a better life for us, she was under the impression I was leaving her lonely. I know one day she’ll see what I’ve been doing has been for us, and when that day comes… She can damn well come crawling back to me.

Giving up is easy.  It's the making it work, that's the hard part

It's not too often that I can read a book and instantly relate to the characters.  But that's exactly what happened with Devin and Nina, from the synopsis to the prologue I was interested.

This is your typical newlywed lovers quarrel. Nina and Devin have been married for a few years now, building their lives. As it goes with a young marriage, some tough choices need to be made.  Which is exactly what Sketch was doing.  He was working day and night to build up his business and as things go with that, his wife was feeling neglected.   The story starts at this point and throughout the book we get to watch them grow as individuals as well as a couple.

I really liked the premise of the story and the story telling.  I enjoyed Ms. Briscoe's writing, for a debut novel I believe she has promise.  With that being said, I would have liked to have seen some build up with emotions.  The plot was a bit flat but not lacking, if that makes any sense.   I like my stories to have layers and depth and Sketch would have been so much better if there were more layers.  Take for instance the "dad" issue. It would have given the story more "meat" for lack of a better term, if the author had given a bit more on that. Because it was referenced quite a few times that they married young, more background would have given that aspect layers as well. There was very little build up in terms of angst and emotions. While the pacing of the story was quick I will say that I enjoyed it.

For the swiftness of it all, I became invested in these characters and I'd definitely read more of this authors work in the future.

Character driven with plenty of heat Sketch is one to read if you're like me and love HEA's.

Release Day + Giveaway! Love & Decay by Rachel Higginson

Today is the release day of Rachel Higginson's Love and Decay: Revolution, Episode Four. This is a serial novella, and completely standalone in the Love & Decay universe. I am so excited to share this with you!! Be sure to enter Rachel's giveaway as well and grab your copy today!

 Love and Decay: Revolution: Episode Four: It’s not easy being a badass Zombie killer. But somebody’s got to do it. King Parker has been fighting Zombies and protecting his family for the majority of his life. It’s what he does. It’s what he’ll always do. And it’s all he’s ever wanted to do. Until he stops in Mexico City on the way back to the States and realizes there is more to life than killing Feeders and more to living than just surviving. When a mysterious redhead crosses his path, he finds himself torn from his family for the first time since Zombies became a thing. Now his family doesn’t need his protection, but she does. King knows better than anybody that life doesn’t always turn out like you expect it to. But what happens when you’re expecting death and destruction and life hands you something beautiful instead? What happens when you experience more than decay? What happens when you find love instead? Love and Decay: Revolution is a Dystopian Romance Novella Series about Zombies, the end of the world and finding someone to share it with. Every episode is approximately 20,000 words long and released every two weeks. Look for Love and Decay: Revolution, Episode Five coming February 5th, 2016.    

Buy now from Amazon | Barnes & Noble   Catch up on the Revolution Episode 1: Amazon | BN  Episode 2: Amazon | BN  Episode 3: Amazon | BN 

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Rachel Higginson is the author of The Five Stages of Falling in Love, Every Wrong Reason, The Star-Crossed Series, Love & Decay Novella Series and much more! She was born and raised in Nebraska, and spent her college years traveling the world. She fell in love with Eastern Europe, Paris, Indian Food and the beautiful beaches of Sri Lanka, but came back home to marry her high school sweetheart. Now she spends her days writing stories and raising four amazing kids.   

Author Page | Instagram | Twitter | Website  

  

Release Day! Sketch by Laramie Briscoe first chapter preview + giveaway

Happy Release Day to Laramie! My review will be coming soon and while I don't want to give anything away, I will say I enjoyed it.  A refreshing story for the New Adult genre. 

Every day during release week you will find a new giveaway on Laramie's facebook page. Be sure to hop over and enter to win any one of the amazing prizes she will be giving away!

A Tattoo Artist - A Husband - An Alpha Male Who Makes No Excuses

My name is Devin, but everybody calls me Sketch. I opened my own tattoo shop two years ago, and I’ve finally gotten to the point where I’m going to be able to give my wife everything she’s ever wanted. I’m going to be able to take time off and spend a day a week with her. In fact, tonight, I stopped and grabbed some wine, got her flowers, and those chocolates she likes. 

What I wasn’t prepared for was to be met at the front door by her carrying her sh*t out. 

She loves me, but she’s not in love with me anymore. What kind of bulls*it excuse is that? I’ve left her alone too often, I’ve been completely focused on one goal, and apparently she’s sick of waiting. 

So here I stand. Half the man I was, p*ssed as f*ck, because while I was busy making a better life for us, she was under the impression I was leaving her lonely. I know one day she’ll see what I’ve been doing has been for us, and when that day comes… She can damn well come crawling back to me.

For a sneak peak of the Prologue & Chapter 1 -http://bit.ly/LBSketch

ARE: http://bit.ly/SketchARE
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1jVGjHv
Amazon UK - http://bit.ly/SketchUK
Amazon AUS - http://bit.ly/SketchAUS
Amazon CA - http://bit.ly/SketchCA
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/SketchBN
Google Play: http://bit.ly/SketchGPL
iBooks: http://bit.ly/SketchIB
Kobo: http://bit.ly/SketchKB

Laramie Briscoe is the best-selling author of the Heaven Hill Series & the Rockin' Country Series.

Since self-publishing her first book in May of 2013, Laramie Briscoe has published over 10 books. She's appeared on the Top 100 Bestselling E-books Lists on iBooks, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, and Barnes & Noble. She's been called "a very young Maya Banks" (Amazon reviewer) and her books have been accused of being "sexy, family-oriented, romances with heart".

When she's not writing alpha males who seriously love their women, she loves spending time with friends, reading, and marathoning shows on her DVR. Married to her high school sweetheart, Laramie lives in Bowling Green, KY with her husband (the Travel Coordinator) and a sometimes crazy cat named Beau.

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Review & Teaser: I'll Be Home For Christmas by Lori Wilde

I'll Be Home For Christmas
A Twilight, Texas Novel
Lori Wilde
October 27,2015
416 pages
Publisher: Avon Romance
Source: Publisher
Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible

Nothing says Christmas like New York Times bestselling author Lori Wilde and Twilight, TX, and now Lori returns to Twilight for a brand new heartwarming holiday tale. The matchmaking members of the Cookie Club are up to their old tricks again!

Christmas in Twilight, Texas, is all merriment and mistletoe. The Cookie Club is whipping up their most festive sweets, the townspeople are scrambling to get their holiday shopping done, and Joe-a hometown guy with a restless heart-is dreaming about the woman he wants to kiss most…

…And who happens to be staying at his sister’s place over the holidays, while Joe’s sister is away. But Joe isn’t quite sure he wants to be a living Christmas present to runaway law student Gabi Preston.

Joe thinks the sassy sweetheart he nicknames “Trouble” won’t inconvenience anything but his healthy sex drive. But when he discovers the reasons Gabi escaped from her life, he aches to give her everything she’s never had. As the magic of the season draws them together, the gift of love is the only one worth giving…

If Twilight Texas is real, I'm immediately packing my bags and going there now! Lori Wilde's small town holiday romance is perfect to snuggle up with next to your fireplace with a warm glass of hot chocolate. Or wine. Or dog, cat...whatever. It's the perfect snuggle up book for the holiday season! Inspired by the movie The Vacation, Gabi decides to take a break from her life. Still grieving the loss of her brother, she's inspired by a snow globe to find that perfect town that's all about Christmas. She definitely finds it and more in Twilight! In a coincidental twist of fate the woman whom Gabi swapped homes with happens to have a brother. Who's hot. And looks good in a pair of wranglers. And who also happens to be her neighbor.

What I liked about this book is the predictability. I knew going in that Gabi was going to find a love interest, and I knew it was going to be Joe. What I enjoyed most about the book was the...unfolding of circumstances that allowed Gabi and Joe to become real for me. So often in romance novels the main love interests have situations that seem far-fetched so I appreciated the realistic qualities of the characters. Having that realistic quality also gave the characters depth. And who likes reading about flat, two dimensional characters anyways right? It's undeniable that Gabi and Joe are attracted to each other and it was entertaining to watch these two do the push-n-pull dance.

I'll be Home for Christmas was fun to read. It got me out of my reading slump and in turn I discovered a new genre I enjoy. I'm classifying this new genre as my guilty pleasure reading. If you enjoy reading small town romances I highly recommend Lori Wilde's Twilight Texas series. I'll definitely be picking up the rest of the books in this series!

EXCERPT

Gabi got out of the car and her designer heels sank into the damp earth. Not the proper footwear for navigating a pasture’s bumpy terrain. Maybe she should buy a pair of cowboy boots. Better yet, maybe she should get a motel room. What had she been thinking? In truth? She hadn’t fully thought this through. That’s what she got for not asking for details. An adventure was what she’d wanted and that’s what she’d gotten. Purposefully, she readjusted her chin, her spine, and her attitude. Okay. Bring it. She was on board with whatever circumstances threw her way. This was part of her journey. Had to embrace the new in order to strip away the old, right? The domed tent sat atop a plain wooden deck. Off to one side was a large chicken coop, and a black and white cow grazed contentedly in the field. Animals? Was she supposed to be taking care of animals? Katie hadn’t said a word about animals. Her heart, which had been nesting in her stomach, glided right on down to her shoes. Gabi had never had a house pet, much less been around farm animals. She hiccupped. Her lungs tightened and her head buzzed dizzily. Calm down. It was okay. She could handle this. Momentarily, she closed her eyes, let the fear wash over her and away, then brusquely dusted her palms. Move forward. The sun was sinking toward the horizon, bumping through gray clouds, sending cool fingers of winter to silver the long grass ruffling in the breeze. The scent of the lake and Christmas tree pine tinged the air, smelling both earthy and sur-real. She paused on the deck of the tent house, in-haled deeply, and listened to the silence. The chirp of a bird. The whisper of the wind. The gentle sound of her own breathing. Ah, peace. Nice. Very nice. She could get used to this. The ping of a metal axe against wood cut the quiet. Gabi lifted her head and glanced around. Less than fifty yards separated her from the Christmas tree farm, and through the branches of the trees she spied a man chopping at a fir that he felled in three easy whacks. He wore a blue flannel shirt that rippled in the back every time he swung the axe. The sleeves of his shirt were rolled up to the elbows, exposing forearms corded with muscles and giving her a show of strength, agility, and timing as he picked up the downed tree and tossed it effortlessly onto a flatbed trailer parked down the row of trees. Her gaze dropped to his masculine backside hugged by a pair of faded Levi’s. Uh- oh, she knew that butt. It was the same scrumptious ass she’d seen less than half an hour earlier at the coffee shop. It was He- Man.