November Harlequin Releases!

Today I have November release books from Harlequin for you! The paperbacks are available now, and the ebook versions release November 1. My favorite of the bunch was Close Range Christmas, but I've been waiting for that book for almost a year! Read on for my review of all four books and the links to Amazon! (All books are available for preorder on Amazon)

Close Range Christmas on Amazon

Their Christmas baby is on the way.

And so is an obsessed killer…

Dev Wyatt’s worst fear has come true. Someone from the Wyatts’ dangerous past is stalking his family—and his best friend, Sarah Knight. When she asked Dev to help her have a child, Sarah did not expect her pregnancy would place her in danger, but now Sarah must take shelter on the Wyatt ranch. As she and Dev battle escalating threats, will they survive long enough to become a family?

***** Five Stars!*****

Let me just start by saying that I don't want to leave this review. The reason I don't want to leave the review is that once I do, this series is over and I'm terribly sad about that. I LOVE the Wyatt brothers, and I'm not gonna lie, I've been WAITING for Dev's story the entire series. Ms. Helm definitely made it worth the wait.

Sarah Knight is independent, sassy, kind-hearted, and clearly in love with Dev Wyatt. She has been since she was a teenager, but Dev has closed himself off to the world since his 'accident' AKA the time his father beat him so badly he nearly killed him.

Dev Wyatt spiraled into a bad place after he was attacked by his father, the leader of the Sons of the Badlands. He was saved by someone he least expected, but he knew eventually there would be a price to pay. He didn't expect it to come due the moment he realized he wanted to be a father to the baby he'd made with Sarah.

Nine months pregnant and ready to deliver at any time, Sarah is ecstatic to be making inroads on Dev's heart, until the notes start to arrive. As always happens with the Wyatt brothers, the notes tell them that Ace isn't done with them, even from beyond the grave.

As an amputee, and someone who dragged around a damaged leg for years before the amputation, I really felt for Dev through all six books. There is rarely ever a time during that journey where you don't feel like you're a burden to the people around you, or that your family has to 'carry' you during that time, so you work that much harder to prove you can do it yourself, even at the expense of extreme pain. Dev's emotional wounds from what he went through were there, but I thought the author did a great job of working through them to get him to see the truth of the matter. Sarah loved him and he deserved that love, even if his last name was Wyatt.

All of the women in this series are strong women who defend the man they love rather than cower behind them. The best one of all, though? Grandma Pauline. We could all learn a thing or two from that lady, and I dare you not to smile during the scenes where she takes control. This book especially reminded me just how strong an 80-year-old ticked off grandma can be!

If you only choose one intrigue series to read this year, read A Badlands Cops series and you won't regret it! I was so excited to see that Nicole was writing a spin-off series based on the tactical team from this series, so I can keep up my addiction to her characters. 

Rookie Instincts on Amazon

Two women dead…with the same ID?

Time to call the Tactical Crime Division.

New TCD team member Aria Calletti is determined to find out why women are turning up dead—especially since an infant was left at the most recent crime scene. Fortunately for the TCD’s newest operative, the baby’s uncle, Grayson Rhodes, has sacrificed everything to discover the truth following the disappearance of his half-sister. But can a civilian-turned-undercover-dockworker and a brand-new agent take down a formidable drug kingpin?

****Four stars!****

Rookie Instincts was a great plot for the Tactical Team. With a new addition to the team, Special Agent Aria Calletti, the action gets underway immediately when girls start turning up dead with a bullet in their chest and a bag of drugs on their bodies.

I enjoyed this fast-paced intrigue that told an excellent story of love, loss, forgiveness and the trials of drug addiction. If you love fast-paced mysteries with a little bit of love in the mix, you definitely don't want to miss this series or Rookie Instincts.  *Four Stars*

High-Priority Asset on Amazon

To safeguard California's Witness Protection Program

recovering leaked information is the top priority.

The safety of every person in California’s Witness Protection Program rests in US marshal Dutch Haas’s capable hands. So inserting himself into Isabel Vargas’s life to get the drop on her criminal uncle is a no-brainer. Except his target is fiery and intelligent—and she quickly becomes his partner instead of his mark. With threats stacking up, will Isabel and Dutch be able to stop Isabel’s past from catching up with her before it is too late?

*****Five Stars*****

High-Priority Asset was an excellent addition to the Hard Core Justice series. I love the series by Juno Rushdan, and she never disappoints in keeping the action moving and the romance flowing. High-Priority Asset was no different.

Isabel Vargas was successful in business, but not in love. With a penchant for bad boys, she decided to play the safe card for once and date a down-to-earth businessman, only to earn herself a bonafide stalker. Running an art gallery was her dream, though, and she refused to buckle to Chad and his threats.

Dutch Haas was a US Marshal who also happened to be a bad boy. He was the perfect guy to step in and convince this 'asset' that she needed to help them bring down her uncle, the head of a cartel. What they didn't know was how unaware Isabel was about her uncle's business practices. Protected by him all of her life, she had no idea how ruthless he truly was.

The problem was, lives were on the line if Dutch didn't convince Isabel to help them. Her uncle had the list of all of the US marshals, and their families, in California, and he was going to sell it to the highest bidder. If Dutch didn't recover that hard drive, people were going to die, and he wasn't about to let that happen. Even if it meant he had to lie to the woman he was starting to fall for. Faced with a no-win situation, Dutch had to make the best of it when convincing Isabel he was ex-military and between jobs. Until he couldn't lie to her any longer.

With the ante upped and the warring cartel coming after her to get to her uncle, Isabel has to make some choices, and those choices aren't going to be easy. Confusion reigns when Isabel continues to get threats, and Dutch can't sort out if they're from the cartel or the man who is determined to make sure Isabel is with him and no one else. Chad Ellis isn't going away just because the cartel is after her, so Dutch has his work cut out for him.

When the truth is revealed to Isabel, she keeps her head about her and does what she promises she'll do, but she doesn't like it. She likes it even less that Dutch lied to her, especially since she was in love with him. The action is nonstop to the end and you'll love every second of it.

I loved this third edition to the series and can't wait for the next one. The main character did some strange things throughout the book that was clearly the dumbest option a person could take, but other than that, I found the main characters and their romance extremely likable and the bad guys extremely hateable. The ending was a big pivot that just kind of left the reader hanging, so I hope that it was the set up for the next book in the series. If you love books about the US Marshals and romance on the fly, you definitely want to check out this series.

Their Christmas Baby Contract on Amazon

Striking the deal was the easy part.

He’ll help her make a beautiful baby.

Brady Nash is handsome and anti-marriage. And with IVF completely out of her financial reach, Reyna Bishop is running out of time to have the child she so very much wants. Theirs is a practical baby-making deal: no emotion, no expectation, no ever-after. They’ll even “date” through Christmas to silence their hometown gossips. It’s foolproof…till the time she spends with Brady and his warm, loving family leaves Reyna wanting more than a baby… 

*****Five Stars*****

I love the Blackberry Bay series and Shannon Stacey did not disappoint with this wonderful holiday read! Reyna was introduced in the first book and I loved her instantly. She's feisty, knows what she wants, and isn't afraid to go after it. Even when what she wants is a baby.

Brady Nash has been in love with Reyna forever. When another of her relationships goes bad right in front of his eyes, he'd do anything to make her smile, including agreeing to her crazy idea to have a baby together. An electrician and secure financially, and with a home, but equally as bad at finding a woman to settle down with (because he wants Reyna!) he decides co-parenting with her might be the only way to become a father. Their agreement was to 'date', show up pregnant, and then break up before the baby arrives.

And then. The feels. The feels they weren't expecting but were there nonetheless. The comfort and joy they found in spending time with each other and the ache when they were apart. They both wanted the same thing, but they didn't know how to find their way there.

Once again Shannon wrote this wonderful romance in a mature and sensible way. The characters didn't stomp off mad and never speak again just because their feelings got hurt. Reyna and Brady had to learn how to communicate with each other, but they still worked at it the way any couple navigating their situation would.

The secondary cast of characters was strong and I love Brady's family and Reyna's mom. It was nice to see Meredith and Cam again, too! If you love well-written, sweet, small-town romances with so many wonderful characters and all the feels, then you want to get started on this series today!