You know, I never imagined having one boyfriend, much less four. Jake, Archie, Coop, and Ian are still my best friends. They’re also even more entrenched in my life than I ever imagined. They’ve been my rocks, but I’m not the only one with issues.
We’re fighting our way to a new normal. I’m in therapy. Ian and I are dating. Archie introduced me to his grandfather. Both Coop and Jake’s moms refer to me as their son’s girlfriend. I don’t know how much our parents know about our relationship, but I also don’t care.
Not anymore.
The holidays are here, and we’re halfway through the year. Everyone wants a piece of us. We’ve survived so much. We’ve been trying to figure out who we can be amidst all the drama and sabotage surrounding us. Now we have to figure out who we can be, period.
That starts with us.
It starts now.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
It was a wonderful change of pace to not have the group battling outsiders for a change. A holiday break away from their families and the problems that normally would result from that. They got into better sync with each other and that was really nice to see. Great Job!
Will Mina’s mates be enough to save her– or will biology, and a deviant uncle, lead to her death?
Arimina Ruscov has landed herself a one-way ticket to the Wicked Reform School– where delinquents go to reform or face execution at the end of their sentence.
As a hybrid weasel-ferret shifter, she has some unique hurdles to face when she meets her mates. Not to mention, just trying to stay alive and avoid the pitfalls her uncle’s spy keeps throwing at her.
Unbeknownst to Arimina, fate may just have a different agenda intended for her.
Will Mina’s mates be enough to save her– or will biology, and a deviant uncle, lead to her death?
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Oh wow! I have got to get my hands on the next one in this series. These are truly reaching out and grabbing my attention. The mystery wrapped up in the book is something that you have to read to believe.
Emma Cole lives in the mountains of Montana with her kiddos– and writes everything from light and fluffy to, dark and dirty. Find Emma Cole on Facebook at Emma’s Author Stalkers or FB Page (Emma Cole).
181 class days to go, and I’ll graduate. No problem, right?
When
it comes down to acclaim in the yearbook, my class rank would probably earn me
my only entry, but very little else. I don’t wear cosmetics, do my hair or
really give a damn about my appearance in general. I don’t need to be cool, and
I’ve managed my high school career navigating all the different groups from the
nerds to the jocks to the theatre kids and the band geeks.
Kicking
off senior year, my only focus is to make every AP class count and keep my
grades up. Shouldn’t be hard, particularly with my so-called untouchable status.
Oh yeah, imagine that—I had a reputation. Hadn’t been a blip on my radar until
the end of junior year when one of the girls’ dropped that little nugget on me.
Apparently, the guys at school considered me the best girl to hang out with for
fun or homework, but nothing else.
While
I’m not looking for a date, it’s a little hard to swallow that I ranked as the
best bud and tutor, but would definitely never fall into the Girl Most Likely
To Get Asked Out.
Pfft.
What did I care? One more year and I was off to college, so what if the numbers
of female friends I used to have drifted off and I’d scored a permanent seat in
the friend zone. I had subjects to study, grades to maintain, and colleges to
get into. Fine, I didn’t care about the rules or status before, and I wouldn’t
now.
181
class days to go, and I’ll graduate. No problem, right?
USA Today bestselling author, Heather Long, likes long walks in the park, science fiction, superheroes, Marines, and men who aren’t douche bags. Her books are filled with heroes and heroines tangled in romance as hot as Texas summertime.
From paranormal historical westerns to contemporary military romance, Heather might switch genres, but one thing is true in all of her stories—her characters drive the books. When she’s not wrangling her menagerie of animals, she devotes her time to family and friends she considers family.
She believes if you like your heroes so real you could lick the grit off their chest, and your heroines so likable, you’re sure you’ve been friends with women just like them, you’ll enjoy her worlds as much as she does.
Heather is best known for her 20-book paranormal romance series Wolves of Willow Bend, which begins:
Prequel: Wolf at Law
1: Wolf Bite
2: Caged Wolf
3: Wolf Claim
3.5: Wolf Next Door
4: Rogue Wolf
5: Bayou Wolf
6: Untamed Wolf
“I’m not going to be late,” I yelled, not bothering
to straighten from where I was digging under the bed for my shoes. I had one,
the other was just almost out of—got it. Fingers hooked into the heel of the
sneaker, I yanked it out and then pivoted to sit on the floor so I could put on
my shoes.
Tiddles eyed me from his perch on my windowsill. He
paused mid-groom as though I’d disturbed him with my antics. Shoes on, I stood
and gave the black feline a scratch under his chin. He purred his approval then
resumed his grooming as I snagged my backpack, made sure my wallet was secured
where it went, then checked for my keys before giving the room a once over.
Bed not made. Clothes still in the hamper because I
didn’t have time to do laundry over the weekend. My uniform stuck out of the
top with its ugly ketchup stain prominent as if giving me the bird. Fine, I’d
do laundry after school. I didn’t work again until Wednesday, anyway.
I scanned the floor—I’d vacuum before Mom noticed,
had an aneurism, and ripped my head off. Course, that depended heavily on if
she noticed. Backpack over my shoulder, I pulled the bedroom door wide and left
it that way. Tiddles would spend ninety percent of his day in my room, but if I
shut him in there, he’d shred the door or the carpet. As Mom always said, we
needed the pet deposit back someday.
Speaking of Mom, she stood in the kitchen drinking a
cup of coffee. As I approached, she pushed a sealed tumbler of coffee toward me
along with two twenties.
I eyed the money then her. “Thank you,” I muttered,
claiming the coffee. I had a car and the school was less than ten minutes away
by car, but I always went in early. First day, new year, and I had six AP
classes and a TA period. No time for slacking, senior year or not.
“Take the money, too.” Mom held up a hand before I
could open my mouth. “Not a word, Frankie. Put the money in your wallet. I
don’t care if you never spend it, but you’re going to have pocket money.”
I made my own money. I worked at the fast food joint
two blocks from school—Mason’s, home of the Big and Thick, known for its big
burgers and thick shakes. Yes, it sounded dirty, but I’d gotten over blushing
about it years ago. I still snickered, though. Course, every penny I earned was
currently being poured into a savings account.
One I’d dipped into to fix my car two weeks earlier,
but I still had to have air conditioning and a car that didn’t overheat. It was
supposed to be over a hundred today and would stay about that for the next week
or so. Back to school did not mean fall weather in Texas.
Joy.
Rapture.
“You’ve been working your butt off, missy, and
instead of cruising through your senior year—which you could be
doing—you’re overachieving, again.” Madeline Curtis, Maddy to her
friends, Mad Maddy to her family, and Mom to me, shook her head.
“Every AP exam I ace equals one less college class I
have to take a loan out for.” Since I had my eye on an out of state university,
I needed all the help with that tuition I could get. I’d done two
classes in my sophomore year, five in my junior, and this year was all AP
classes. I only needed three of those classes to finish my credits for
graduation. “I really don’t mind.”
Book Reviews by the Reluctant Retiree 