Well well I am so happy about this one. Who knew so much about Navajo artifacts? I got an American Indian education for sure. Someone wants the Native Americans off their sacred land, which happens to be a place where looters found priceless artifacts. Navajo journalist Katherine (Kat) James and park ranger Gabriel Rossiter team up to investigate why. Together they discover the truth about both their past and the future. There were the usual players and of course Chief Irving and Tom our much love to hate  boss at Denver Independent. Shocked to see where the truth takes these two and the long road to get there. The reveal on Gabe is just HUGE. Can not say enough good things about their passion and the authors portrayal of what a real Navajo thinks especially about dreams. I will never look at a coyote the same way. Kat was so young but had such wisdom from her faith to her beliefs I just adored her.

My rating

This was really good especially for the start of the series. The Fallujah and Iraq references were made to provoke the mindset of any service person, whether a Marine or not. I loved the way the story had placed the three main characters who were not in such close proximity together through the American Vet service bond. There were parts that were really intense, but pulled the plot together for the rest of the series.

 4.06

A Kindle Best Seller in Romantic Suspense, Romantic Adventure and Women Sleuths. I bought it and was a little disappointed. The English phrases and slang were really annoying to me. The fact that it took me extra time to understand was a killer. Aside from the usual pumping up a book on Goodreads and Amazon, where the reviews were great, I was no thrilled.

Interpol cop, Anna Leyton, spirals down into a hopeless vortex of sexual and emotional passion
as she fights to keep her professional cool. Who is deceiving who in this fast moving ride across continents?

rating

I actually got annoyed today that life happened and I was not able to read ggrrrr. I finished this one tonight and was just amazed again. The Russian mob and human trafficking part scared the crap out of me! I loved Tessa and the other I Team reporters who all have their personalities engraved in my brain. Tessa, much like Kara, interfered with a lot of the FBI task force and the DPD operations, some of them were just so funny too! When the story unfolds with Julian’s family life and Tessa’s equally messed up family life, we see the reasons why they evolved into the adults they are. Bother were ashamed and not forthcoming about their past. Julian fights his demons because he cant get over that his father was a pimp and has emotional scars from that. Tessa has a family that forced her to lie and say she grew up in Georgia so she doesn’t have to share her beginnings. Such a fantastic story I just enjoy being on the edge of my seat. TY Pamela Clare!!

rating

This was a little strange for me. People have said that it is the antidote for Fifty Shades. I liked it better because it had no BDSM. The beginning started out a little slow. I found the awakening of MA student Julianne Mitchell was a journey filled with heart aches. Enter her Professor Gabriel Emerson who seems to be tortured by himself and his ideals.  Both Julianne and Gabriel know each other and have a past. The thing that I found strange and hard to understand was that they did not recognize each other. I think it took a little long for that realization to happen. His past and her past collided and then we learn about Rachel Clark her BFF, who is his sister. It was a little explained away when approached. I think if my best friend had a brother, adopted or not, I would have known a great many details. That was the only thing that bothered me. When they realize who they are and place where and when they met we meet Rachel and her Mom Grace. Grace was like a mother to Julia and since Julia’s mom passed away ti brought up the typical American family picture. Julia did not have tht. Gabriel did not have that either. The fact that they are haunted by more than one demon is tough. Her Mother was an alcoholic and she suffered many ears of abuse and being thrown from her Mom to her Dad in Pennsylvania. Poor Gabriel was adopted by Grace and Richard and they treated him equal with their two sons and daughter. Gabriel is 10 years older and was shocked when he realized who Julia was. Although it was never revealed I think Gabriel has some sort of clairvoyant qualities and sometimes reads her mind and is very in tune with women in general. It is also never revealed what Lobby is exactly. It is a club but there is something sinister there. The BEST way to describe this book would be a smart romance. Very intellectual context and comparisons to Dante Alighieri. The University and thesis process is well outlined too. The journey was long and sometimes over descriptive but one worth taking. All of the background information was really hard to imagine, but SO true. Also included was the education and the U of Toronto fraternization policy that is so strict. When they decided to become involved it was VERY adult and the decision was not made hastily and for that I applaud the author. I am moving on the Rapture happily.

My fave quotes:

“Why not think that sometimes—just sometimes—you can overcome evil with silence? And let people hear their hatefulness in their own ears, without distraction. Maybe goodness is enough to expose evil for what it really is, sometimes.”

“Kindness is never wasted.”

“Sometimes goodness doesn’t tell everything it knows. Sometimes goodness waits for the appropriate time and does the best it can with what it has.”

“Look at me. Look into my eyes.” His eyes fixed on hers as they fluttered open.
“I’ll give you anything. My body, my soul, Take them. Take everything.”

“When I am an old man and I can remember nothing else, I will remember this moment. The first time my eyes beheld an angel in the flesh. “I will remember your body and your eyes, your beautiful face and breasts, your curves and this.” He traced his hand around her navel before dragging it lightly to the top of her lower curls. “I will remember your scent and your touch and how it felt to love you. But most of all, I will remember how it felt to gaze at true beauty, both inside and out. For you are fair, my beloved, in soul and in body, generous of spirit and generous of heart. And I will never see anything this side of heaven more beautiful than you”

“You, of all people, deserve a happy ending. Despite everything that happened to you, you aren’t bitter. You aren’t cold. You’ve just retreated a little and been shy, and that’s okay. If I were a fairy godmother, I would give you your heart’s desire in an istant. And I would wipe away your tears and tell you not to cry.

“When I told you that I was intending to worship you with my body, I meant it. With all my heart. I will never take from you. I will only give. In my bed and outside of it.”

“Open your eyes.”
Julia looked up into a pair of blue orbs that were startlingly clear and very emotional, but she could not decipher the emotions. He smiled and pressed his lips to her forehead again before rolling onto his back and gazing up at the stars.
“What are you thinking?” She shifted herself so that she was curled up at his side, close to but not touching him with her body.
“I was thinking about how I waited for you. I waited and waited, and you never came.” He smiled at her sadly.
“I’m sorry, Gabriel.”
“You’re here now. Apparuit iam beatitudo vestra.”
“I don’t know what that means.” She sounded shy.
“It means now your blessedness appears. But really, it should be now my blessedness appears. Now that you’re here.” He pulled her closer, snaking his arm beneath her neck and down to her waist where he splayed his hand, fingers wide, at the small of her back. “For the rest of my life, I’ll dream of hearing your voice breathe my name.”

Quickly finished it and it scared me a little bit. Not my usual read but good. Warning: This title contains obsession, soul possession, and hot carnal transgression. Oh, and a few scares for good measure. You can’t keep this bad demon down—though you’ll want to try

rating

LOVED it!!! Kara McMillan was alone for 5 years since her child’s father dumped her. She has only been focused on her son Connor and her career. Being part of the I Team is a coveted position and she gets involved with a story and can loose everything. This entire book is filled with  illegal dumping, political scandal and death threats.  Kara becomes involved more and more with Senator Reece Sheridan and has doubts about everyone’s safety. This was so intense and had a lot of humor in it too. LOVED it and thanks to my friend Dhestiny for the goodreads recommendation. Lots of steamy sexual embraces too. Who doesn’t love a sexy and faithful Senator?

rating

5* on steam, writing and overall sob factor!!  “Loving you, Kellan, is so easy, it’s effortless.”

I was engrossed. I was up until almost 3 finishing it. There were a few times when I had to put it down because it was so deep. I get some people dont like the deception and cheating, but seriously it is a story that is rich! When we were young in college and dating we all cheated in one way or another. I have cheated and been in and out of love a lot! Sometimes in my mind, but ultimately Keira could not bring herself to hurt Denny. She had so much love for him and she just couldnt tell him. There is nothing wrong with that especially because it makes the story real. When it starts there is a little backstory reminiscent of Thoughtless. OK so obviously Keira moved on from Denny with Kellan. I was moved how he evolved from his childhood and the sad upbringing. Keira was naive and always second guessing herself, thinking too much about what others thought, and needed a push to be expressive. The premise I call “he could never be YOU” is what she had so much trouble dealing with. The entire saga started for me when it was Denny who LEFT. He didnt discuss anything with her just had to go for work to Tuscon. That was resolved finally! When his internship was turned into a full time job with a long term set up, he fled. It was his loss and his mistake. Now Keira is starting to come into her own realizing she take some more writing classes and poetry. Keira has really got the best and strongest relationship with her sister Anna back. They get each other and Keira accepts that she is who she is and Anna is loud, sexy, and bold. Those qualities she doesnt get. To Keira simply because she is the way she is and Anna is a Hooters girl. We get the resolve of Denny and his new love Abby. We also get the treat of Anna and Griffin the horndog resolved. I wanna go into details but it is a spoiler alert. Kellan is captivating! He spins out of control a few times but, in the end has his moment and maybe even a little closure with family ties. I have so many quotes but I’ll be walking around singing “he could never be you”

My QUOTES: “But, if for some reason we’re not closer, if something has gotten between us, please, I’m begging you…don’t give up on me. Stay. Stay with me. Work it out with me. Just don’t leave me…please.”
― S.C. Stephens, 

“but what it all boils down to is three words that don’t mean nearly enough… I love you.”
― S.C. Stephens,

“Nothing in the world was as beautiful to me as that tattoo, except the man bearing it.”
― S.C. Stephens, 

“…”you finally get it.”…
… “get what?”…
“That I’m yours… that you can take me… anywhere, anytime, anyway. That you own every peice of me.”
― S.C. Stephens, 

“And he was the reason I felt it. His gaze, his touch, his smile, his laugh, no one had ever made me feel… worshiped… quite like he did.”
― S.C. Stephens, 

“I wanted…to own you. I wanted a part of me in you.” He cringed. “I wanted to mark you, make you mine.”
― S.C. Stephens, 

“Ethics and I had crossed paths recently, and I’m not sure that I fell on the right side of the morality line.”
― S.C. Stephens,

His smile matched mine, then I frowned and sighed “Trusting you…that’s the hard part”
― S.C. Stephens, 

“I love you more. I love you enough to let you go and live your dream.” I tilted my head and shrugged. “Don’t you see….? I love you more.”

He smiled softly and I brushed some hair off his forehead. Running the backs of my fingers down his cheek, I whispered, “And, yes, I will miss you, more than you could possibly imagine, but I know that you have to do this Kellan. And you know it too.”

Stubbornly he shook his head. “No, I know that I have to be with you. Everything else is just …. details.”
― S.C. Stephens, Effortless

“I love you more. I love you enough to let you go and live your dream.” I tilted my head and shrugged. “Don’t you see….? I love you more.”

He smiled softly and I brushed some hair off his forehead. Running the backs of my fingers down his cheek, I whispered, “And, yes, I will miss you, more than you could possibly imagine, but I know that you have to do this Kellan. And you know it too.”

Stubbornly he shook his head. “No, I know that I have to be with you. Everything else is just …. details.”
― S.C. Stephens, Effortless

“You are told from the moment you enter school that time is constant. It never changes. It is one of those set things in life that you can always rely on… much like death and taxes. There will always be sixty seconds in a minute. There will always be sixty minutes in an hour. And there will always be twenty-four hours in a day. Time was not fluctuating. It moved on at the same, constant pace at every moment in your life. And that was the biggest load of crap that I’d ever been taught in school.”
― S.C. Stephens, Effortless

“Are you about to have sex in my bathroom?”
Without missing a beat, Kellan responded with, “Yes,” and started closing the door.”
― S.C. Stephens, Effortless

“I’ll still be with you every night, Kiera. Every night, no matter where I am, crawling into bed with you. Our bed will be a lot bigger, miles wide, but it will just be you and me inside it.”
― S.C. Stephens, Effortless

“Don’t leave me,” I begged, when I found air to speak. Kellan wrapped his arms around me just as tight. Voice cracking he murmured, “I won’t…I’m yours, Kiera, for as long as you want me.” Pulling back I cupped his face. “Forever, I want you forever.”
― S.C. Stephens, Effortless

“Choosing to be with you, isn’t a difficult decision, Jacqueline…It’s easy. Incredibly easy.” 

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. This is the first Tammara Webber I have gotten the opportunity to read. At the beginning when we met Kennedy and Jackie they were ending their 3 year relationship. I felt bad that her music was all she care about and she gave it up to follow him to his college choice. We missed the three weeks in between the breakup and the realization for her it was over. Following the ending of her and Kennedy she skips Economics for two weeks and even misses the midterm so in comes Dr. Heller with his tutor solution. I adored him and his soft spot for being a peace maker.

Now enter Landon (Dr. Heller’s student tutor) who is a senior and tells Jackie this tutor is the only way to get her grade up and pass his class. The poor girl is in fear and humility everyday she walks in there and has to go by Kennedy who is now the big flirt on campus. The girls like Erin I loved. It is so funny how when you meet someone who is like Erin and think “How can I get through a year of this?” and she turns out to be your voice, your support and your best friend. The classmate she sits near Benji was just so funny and brought a light feel to some dark matter.

The college stories were cute and I liked how the Greek part was in focus too. The Buck story was heavy but all in all a really good read!

“When I registered for econ, I had no idea that I’d be in for this level of reality-show drama. It’s like a big fat bonus.” 

Love is not the absence of logic but logic examined and recalculated – heated and curved to fit inside the contours of the heart

“What’s wrong?” His hands gripped my elbows as I stared up at him. He was wearing drawstring pajama bottoms and a dark t-shirt, the sexy lines of his tattoos spilling from his sleeves to his wrists. He also wore thin, black-framed glasses that accentuated the blue in his eyes and his dark lashes.

“I wanted to tell you that I just–I miss you. And maybe that sounds ridiculous–like we barely know each other, but between the emails and texts and… everything else, I felt like we did. Like we do. and I miss–I don’t know how else to say it–I miss both of you.”
― Tammara Webber, Easy

“Ugh! Erin. You have a one-track mind.”

She smiled deviously. “I prefer to think of it as target-driven.”