Book Review – Total Bravery

25 Wednesday Apr 2018

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour, Book Review, Contest, Sneak Peek

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Book Review, Piper J. Drake, The True Heroes Series, Total Bravery, True Heroes series

Piper J. Drake’s latest True Heroes novel brings readers a new team to get to know … and fall in love with.

*****

Total Bravery

True Heroes series

by Piper J. Drake

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Release Date: April 24, 2018

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing – Forever

Print Length: 304 Pages

Format: Digital and Mass Market Paperback

Blurb:

True heroes will do anything to protect the women they love…

As the newest recruit at Search and Protect, Raul has a lot to prove. Luckily, he’s got the best friend and partner a man could ask for: a highly trained, fiercely loyal German Shepherd Dog named Taz. Together, Raul and Taz make an unbeatable team. But their first mission in Hawaii really puts them to the test when an international kidnapping ring sets its sights on the bravest woman Raul’s ever met . . .

Mali knows her latest job has put one hell of a target on her back. And on this small island paradise, there’s nowhere to hide. With a service dog like Taz, Mali feels safe. Sharing close quarters with a smoldering muscle-for-hire like Raul, she feels something else – an unexpected wave of desire. Raul feels it too. But when the kidnappers make their move, he’s got to turn that slow-burning passion into hard-hitting action – and save the life of the woman he loves.

More from the True Heroes series:

Extreme Honor

Hot military heroes, the women who love them, and the dogs that always have their backs. EXTREME HONOR is the first book in a high adrenaline contemporary suspense series from Piper J. Drake.

HONOR, LOYALTY, LOVE

David Cruz is good at two things: war and training dogs. The ex-soldier’s toughest case is Atlas, a Belgian Malinois whose handler died in combat. Nobody at Hope’s Crossing Kennel can break through the animal’s grief. That is, until dog whisperer Evelyn Jones walks into the facility . . . and into Atlas’s heart. David hates to admit that the curvy blonde’s mesmerizing effect isn’t limited to canines. But when Lyn’s work with Atlas puts her in danger, David will do anything to protect her.

Lyn realizes that David’s own battle scars make him uniquely qualified for his job as a trainer. Tough as nails yet gentle when it counts, he’s gotten closer to Atlas than anyone else-and he’s willing to put his hard-wired suspicion aside to let her do the same. But someone desperate enough to kill doesn’t want Lyn working with Atlas. Now only teamwork, trust, and courage can save two troubled hearts and the dog who loves them both . . .

Get More information at: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iTunes

Ultimate Courage

LOVE IS AN ACT OF BRAVERY

Retired Navy SEAL Alex Rojas is putting his life back together, one piece at a time. Being a single dad to his young daughter and working at Hope’s Crossing Kennels to help rehab a former guard dog, he struggles every day to control his PTSD. But when Elisa Hall shows up, on the run and way too cautious, she unleashes his every protective instinct.

Elisa’s past never stays in her rearview mirror for long, and she refuses to put anyone else in danger. But with Alex guarding her so fiercely yet looking at her so tenderly, she’s never felt safer . . . or more terrified that the secrets she keeps could put countless people in grave peril. The only way for both to fully escape their demons will take the ultimate act of courage: letting go and learning to trust each other.

Get More information at: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iTunes

Absolute Trust

LOVE IS THE GREATEST RISK OF ALL

After multiple tours of duty, Brandon Forte returns to his hometown on a personal mission: to open a facility for military service dogs like Haydn, a German shepherd who’s seen his share of combat and loss. It also brings him back to Sophie Kim, a beacon of light in his life . . . and the one woman he can’t have. But Forte’s success means he’s made enemies in high places. Enemies who are now after Sophie . . .

When Forte enlisted and left without saying goodbye, Sophie did her best to move on. But with her first love back in town, looking sexier than ever, she’s constantly reminded of what they could have had. Then after he risks himself for her, Sophie realizes she’ll have to put her life in the hands of the man who broke her heart, knowing the danger -and the sparks between them- could consume them both.

Get More information at: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iTunes

*****

Excerpt:

A woman’s voice was on the other end of the line, strained and wary.

“Raul Sá.” He pulled the phone away from his ear to glance at the screen. No traceable caller ID.

“I was calling the Search and Protect Organization.” The woman hesitated. “I’m looking for Arin Siri.”

“She’s working right now. Must’ve forwarded her calls to my line.”

There was a long pause. “This is Mali, Arin’s sister. Please help me.”

*****

Review:

Total Bravery is another installment in the True Heroes world but not really a continuation of the series. Raul is starting a new job in Hawaii and has just become partners with Taz, a German Shepherd Dog that was trained at Hope’s Crossing. That’s pretty much it for the crossover with the original stories 🙂 Well, that and the general feel of the story – sexy, smart, and bada** hero, a strong heroine in need of help, and a group of colleagues that are more than capable of helping out.

Mali is my kinda heroine – smart and level-headed. When things go bad for her, she doesn’t freak out, listens to those with more experience, and does her best to stay out of the way when she needs to. She may need help but she’s definitely no damsel in distress. Raul is the kind of ex-military hero you’d expect. He’s got the training but he’s also got the heart to do what he needs to do in any given situation. It’s not always the easy thing but he tries his best to make it the best one.

I feel like Piper does a pretty good job delving into a difficult situation here, addressing human trafficking. It’s an awful, heart-breaking, and so very real. Between Mali’s research and what they come across while trying to find her missing teammates, we get an idea of how easy and dangerous it can be. It’s not near as bad here as it is in real life but it gives you enough of a feel for it that your imagination can run wild.

I do kinda wish we’d gotten a little bit more about why Raul doesn’t feel worthy of being with Mali. It seemed like ti would become an issue, and he flirts around the edges of his reasoning, but then he gets over it. There are a few family issues between Mali and Arin that I think need a bit more exploration but I’m hoping that there will be ample time for that in a story starring Arin. Overall, though, Drake does a good job of tying up her threads in a complete and satisfying story. (Just like the Siri sister drama I’m anticipating more with the big bad from the story showing up in future books.)

A mix of intrigue, action, and smoldering romance, Total Bravery is well written, well paced, and just in general well done 🙂

*****

Author Info:

Piper J. Drake is a bestselling author of romantic suspense and edgy contemporary romance, a frequent flyer, and day job road warrior. She is often distracted by dogs, cupcakes, and random shenanigans.

*****

Giveaway:

Enter to win a Piper J Drake Gift Basket (print copies of Extreme Honor and Hidden Impact, sports bag, fun Piper J Drake and Corbin swag)

https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b050ef29504/

*****

Tour Schedule:

April 23^rd
Nikkis book nook – Review
Romance Reviews Today Blog – Spotlight
Tantos Livros Tão Pouco Tempo – Spotlight
A Chick Who Reads – Spotlight
AlwaysReiding – Spotlight
Books A-Brewin’ – Spotlight
Crazy Beautiful Reads – Spotlight
Good Choice Reading – Spotlight
LadyTechie’s Book Musings – Spotlight
Sweet Red Reads – Spotlight
The World As I See It – Spotlight

April 24^th
Angel’s Guilty Pleasures – Spotlight
Kiss Like a Girl – Review
Reading Reality – Review
Splashes Into Books – Review
The Book Quarry – Review
The Power of Three Readers – Review
The Reading Café – Spotlight
I Love Romance – Spotlight
Lilly’s Book World – Spotlight
OMGreads – Spotlight
TBR Book Blog – Spotlight
Victoria’s Thoughts and Reviews – Spotlight

April 25^th
Book Loving Pixies – Review
Oh My Growing TBR – Review
RoloPoloBookBlog – Review
Romances Ever After – Review
BBBf-sizzlereads – Spotlight
Books to get lost in – Spotlight
Deborah Favorite Book Reviews, Spotlight and More – Spotlight
I Need to Read That – Spotlight
Lisa Book Blog @ LEL – Spotlight
Once Upon a Book Blog – Spotlight
Teatime and Books – Spotlight
We All Make Mistakes in Books – Spotlight
Romantic Reads and Such – Spotlight

April 26^th
Adventures Thru Wonderland – Review
Caitlyn Lynch, Author and Book Blogger – Review
Jen’s Reading Obsession – Spotlight
Nicole’s Book Musings – Spotlight
Book Addicts Reviews – Spotlight
Cat’s Guilty Pleasure – Spotlight
Dog Eared Pages – Spotlight
Insatiable Readings – Spotlight
Lisa Loves Books – Spotlight
Reads All the Books – Spotlight
The Reading Diaries – Spotlight
Yearwood La Novela – Spotlight

April 27^th
Book Magic – Under a spell with every page – Review
Lit. 4 Ladies – Spotlight
Sizzling Pages Romance Reviews – Review
A small girl, her man and her books – Spotlight
Book Lovers Reviews and Recommendations – Spotlight
Cathy’s World – Spotlight
Evermore Books – Spotlight
JOJO THE BOOKAHOLIC – Spotlight
More Books Than Livros – Spotlight
Reese’s Review – Spotlight
The Voluptuous Book Diva – Spotlight
Books+Pastelitos – Spotlight

Book Review – Absolute Trust

20 Tuesday Dec 2016

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour, Book Review, Contest, Sneak Peek

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Absolute Trust, Book Review, Piper J. Drake, True Heroes series

I’m so excited to bring this book to you guys! So far this has been an exceptional series and I think there is definitely room for Drake to keep going with new characters (or a spin-off series or two 🙂 )

*****

Absolute Trust

True Heroes, #3

by Piper J. Drake

On Sale: December 20, 2016

Publisher: Forever

Mass Market: $6.99 USD

eBook: $5.99 USD

Add to Goodreads

Blurb:

Hot military heroes, the women who love them, and the dogs who always have their backs. ABSOLUTE TRUST is the third book in a high-adrenaline romantic suspense series from Piper J. Drake.

LOVE IS THE GREATEST RISK OF ALL

When Forte enlisted and left without saying goodbye, Sophie did her best to move on. But with her first love back in town, looking sexier than ever, she’s constantly reminded of what they could have had. Then after he risks himself for her, Sophie realizes she’ll have to put her life in the hands of the man who broke her heart, knowing the danger—and the sparks between them—could consume them both.

*****

EXTREME HONOR, #1 | ULTIMATE COURAGE, #2 | ABSOLUTE TRUST, #3

Series Page on Goodreads

*****

Excerpt:

Sophie Kim must’ve come directly from work because, under her very sleek, black trench coat, she wore a matching pencil skirt. Three-inch red heels popped in contrast to the severe black of the rest of her outfit. Which did all sorts of things to him. Naughty things. The kind of things that were so good that they were really bad. Especially when a woman was off limits.

“Hey! Is that the new guy?” Sophie slowed her approach, keeping her gaze locked on Forte’s face.

She’d been around tiny dogs all her life, but she’d spent enough time at Hope’s Crossing Kennels over the last couple of years to have learned how to meet the much bigger dogs in Forte’s care. Training working dogs was his thing. Or in Haydn’s case, retraining.

Always a work in progress.

Sophie had been here when Forte had come back from active duty, too battle weary to continue deploying. She’d helped him with the accounting when he’d established Hope’s Crossing Kennels and had generally integrated herself into the private world he’d created for himself, Rojas, and Cruz while they all rebuilt lives for themselves.

Sophie’s bright smile faded as she waited for him to answer. She always sensed when he got too caught up inside his own head.

“Yeah.” Forte came to a halt and murmured the command for Haydn to sit.

Instant obedience. Despite his injury, surgery, and current need for recovery, the dog was as sharp as he’d been on active duty. The mind was eager, ready to work. The body, not so much.

Sophie’s smile renewed, the brilliant expression stopping his heart, the way it had every time he’d seen her since they’d first met way back in high school. She came to a stop in front of them, barely within arm’s reach. “He must be doing well if you’ve got him out here for some field work.”

While they spoke, Haydn watched them both. Then he sniffed the back of Sophie’s hand, which she’d been holding conveniently within reach.

Usually, he preferred if a person asked to be introduced, but this was Sophie. If she’d approached anyone else, she’d have requested permission to say “Hi” to the dog. But between the two of them, everything was an exception.

It showed how well she’d come to know the way he worked in the last few years. He’d changed with every deployment. It happened. And she’d adjusted and accepted those changes in him without a word when he came back. She was the steadfast, forever friend.

He’d never told her why he’d left in the first place or why he’d come back. She was so good at just accepting him that she might never know. And he was a coward for not telling her.

“What’s your plan for him?” Sophie glanced down at the dog, now that he’d sniffed her hand. “Haydn, right?”

“Yeah.” Forte cleared his throat. “He’s got a couple of weeks of physical therapy first. Then we need to coordinate with the Air Force on his adoption.”

“Ah.” Understanding in one syllable. She had the kind of caring heart to fill in the gaps when something went unsaid. “His handler didn’t make it.”

Part of why Sophie was one of the only people Forte felt easy around was because she got it. Only needed to explain once. And she listened the first time. Sometimes no explanation was required at all.

“Where’s your car? We’ll walk you.”

“Right across the street.” Sophie jerked her head in the direction of the small parking lot.

They headed over, Sophie falling into step next to Forte. She didn’t try to take his hand or tuck her own around his arm. They weren’t like that. Besides, she knew he didn’t like to be all wound up with a person when walking out in the open.

As they approached her car, Sophie juggled her shopping bag to pull her keys out of her purse and triggered the trunk.

“Need help?” Forte came up alongside the car, scanning the area around the parking lot out of habit.

“No worries.” Sophie lifted the trunk door and carefully placed her shopping bag inside the deep space, leaning in to move things around to where she wanted. “I need to make sure this is arranged so stuff doesn’t shift. It’s delicate!”

He was not going to admit to anyone, ever, how much he was willing to stretch his neck to catch sight of her backside while she was leaning over.

Haydn sniffed the side of the car. The big dog was very engaged, his relaxed attitude changing to a sharper set of movements. Forte tore his attention from Sophie.

Haydn had detected something out of place. Something wrong. Forte’s stomach tightened into a hard knot. Nothing wrong should be anywhere near his Sophie. It didn’t matter that they were in a sleepy town on the edge of a river in the middle of a peaceful country. It didn’t matter that there shouldn’t be any real danger here.

Haydn deliberately sat and looked up at Forte. It was a clear signal. One Haydn had been specifically trained to give as a military explosives detection dog.

Shit.

“Sophie. Step away from your car.” He’d explain later. Be afraid later. Rage. Worry.

Later.

She popped up from the trunk. “Huh?”

“Do it.”

They had to move now.

She complied, thank god. He gave Haydn a terse command, circled around to grab Sophie and get more distance. He steered her across the parking lot toward a big dumpster. It’d serve as good cover. Then he reached for his smart phone.

They got a couple of yards away, and Sophie craned her neck to look back at her car, even as she kept moving with him. She always did as he asked immediately, but she had a brain, and she insisted on explanations after she complied. “What—?”

Behind them, the trunk hatch came down with a solid thunk.

Forte let out a curse and grabbed her, pulling them down to the ground and rolling for the cover of other cars as an explosion lifted the entire driver’s side of her car.

*****

Review:

(While it isn’t required to read all of the stories in this series, it does help to understand how the characters relate to each other and all the trouble they’ve managed to get themselves into this past year 🙂 )

I was super thrilled to see Drake hit it out of the park again – delivering a story full of danger, emotion, humor and thrills. I really enjoyed the first book in this series, but I felt like there was a bit of a misstep in the last one when it came to her hero. Here, though, everything comes together just perfectly.

The friendship between Sophie and Brandon is just awesome, but returning readers know that they are both hiding deeper feelings. We just aren’t sure why they are fighting it. And with excitement and danger coming at the start, we don’t have long for things to come to a head. (I don’t think many people will be surprised by the “who” in the who-done-it part, but Drake ties everything together very well and keeps things engaging.)

The pacing is done skillfully too – mixing the relationship development with the suspense portion but not cheating either of them. Drake also does a great job of fleshing out the characters we’ve gotten glimpses of in the first two books and explaining why they’ve never done anything about their obvious attraction.

All of it makes sense and keeps you glued to the page until you can make sure that they make it out of their troubles (both physical and emotional), getting a HEA together that they deserve.

*****

Author Info:

Piper J. Drake (or “PJ”) spent her childhood pretending to study for the SATs by reading every interesting novel she could find at the library. After being introduced to the wonderful world of romance by her best friend, she dove into the genre.

PJ began her writing career as PJ Schnyder, writing sci-fi & paranormal romance and steampunk, for which she won the FF&P PRISM award as well as the NJRW Golden Leaf award and Parsec award.

PJ’s romantic suspense novels incorporate her interests in mixed martial arts and the military. The True Heroes series is inspired by her experience rescuing, owning and training a variety of retired working dogs, including Kaiser, a former guard dog, and Mozart, who was trained to detect explosives.

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*****

Giveaway:

Ten (10) mass market copies of ABSOLUTE TRUST

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/26635ce2404/

*****

Spotlight – Ultimate Courage

27 Wednesday Jul 2016

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour, Contest, Sneak Peek

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Piper J. Drake, True Heroes series, Ultimate Courage

We got an early look at Ultimate Courage last week, but we’re gonna celebrate its release with more excerpts and a giveaway!

*****

Hot military heroes, the women who love them, and the devoted dogs that always have their backs. ULTIMATE COURAGE is the second book in a high adrenaline contemporary suspense series from Piper J. Drake published by Forever Romance. Fans of D.D. Ayres K-9 Rescue series and Cindy Gerard’s One Eyed Jacks, will love this action packed romantic suspense series.

Ultimate Courage

True Heroes #2

by Piper J. Drake

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Release Date: July 26, 2016

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing- Forever

Print Length: 336 pages

Format: Digital and Mass Market Paperback

Blurb:

LOVE IS AN ACT OF BRAVERY

Get More information at: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iTunes

Also in this series:

Extreme Honor: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iTunes

*****

Excerpt:

Alex’s hand came up slowly to cradle the side of her face, encouraging her to tilt her head, and she did. He deepened the kiss then, his tongue running across her lips and coaxing them to open for him. She opened with a sigh, and his tongue swept into her mouth, gently tasting. She kissed him back in return, leaning into him until she had one hand braced against his hard chest.

A needy moan escaped her, and he responded in kind. When he lifted his mouth from hers, she almost tipped into him, her knees not holding her upright anymore and her head spinning. Wow.

She took not one, but several long breaths to clear her head, looking down at a black and tan face staring up at her with soulful, dark eyes. Souze wasn’t shy about watching, apparently.

The thought brought her the rest of the way to her senses, because weird. Yeah. Weird.

She took a step back, and Alex let her. He’d done that since the beginning. Letting her go if she wanted. So why was it so hard to leave now even if she kept saying she should?

“Thank you,” she told him, not looking up into his eyes.

“But?” Alex’s voice came cool, deep, and so sexy it just wasn’t fair.

“But I should go. Especially because this is obviously not a professional thing now.”

“No. But none of your previous employers particularly cared if you left, did they?” He sounded reasonable. “Did they bother to try to check on you?”

“Not that I know of.” She said it slowly. She’d had her phone with her, and she’d been checking her e-mail. Both big mistakes, she knew now. But she’d been paid under the table and they didn’t really have a way to contact her after she disappeared.

“I think that’s a little odd.” Rojas lifted his hand, giving her plenty of time to avoid him, and brushed her hair back from her face. “Maybe this time, it wouldn’t hurt to have someone care about whether you disappear.”

*****

Author Info:

Piper J. Drake (or “PJ”) began her writing career as “PJ Schnyder” writing sci-fi & paranormal romance and steampunk. She has recently received the FF&P PRISM award for her work as well as the NJRW Golden Leaf award and Parsec award.

Now, PJ is exploring the complexity of romantic suspense, incorporating her interests in mixed martial arts and the military into her writing.

*****

Giveaway:

$25 Amazon Giftcard and signed copies of Extreme Honor and Ultimate Courage

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b050ef29253/?

*****

Book Review – Ultimate Courage

21 Thursday Jul 2016

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour, Book Review, Sneak Peek

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Book Review, Piper J. Drake, True Heroes series, Ultimate Courage

*****

Ultimate Courage

True Heroes #2

by Piper J. Drake

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Release Date: July 26, 2016

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing- Forever

Print Length: 336 pages

Format: Digital and Mass Market Paperback

Blurb:

LOVE IS AN ACT OF BRAVERY

Get More information at: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iTunes

Also in this series:

Extreme Honor: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iTunes

*****

Excerpt:

Beautiful blue-gray eyes met his briefly before the woman dropped her own gaze to focus on someplace lower on his face, like his nose or mouth. Subtle. Most people would probably not even notice the way she avoided direct eye contact.

But then again, not many people made eye contact a challenge the way he and his colleagues did. It wasn’t on purpose, really; more of a common quirk in their personalities.

Funny, he hadn’t expected to see her again. Okay, maybe he’d been hoping to find her at Revolution MMA for those self-defense classes he’d recommended. But here she was. A weird tingle jolted through his chest.

This woman was about as non-aggressive as possible without cowering outright. Despite her upright posture, her hands hung at her sides in a loose, non-defensive position. Her left wrist was covered in a brace and it was easy to see she held something in her right hand. She was far enough back on the landing to easily drop down a step or two without having to back up more than a few inches.

But the mannerisms didn’t fit her energy, the straightness of her shoulders, or the set of her jaw. Whoever this woman was, she’d developed habits. She wasn’t a mouse by nature. He wouldn’t be as irritated to see these behaviors if these things came naturally to her.

Who had forced her to assume those mannerisms to survive?

“Mr. Rojas.” Her voice was steady.

Another sign of her being more than what she seemed, as far as he was concerned. The timbre was almost soothing, and he realized he’d balled his hands into fists. Well, shit. He let his hands loosen.

She presented the object she held in her right hand. “I think your daughter left this behind at the ER last night. I hope you don’t mind, but the logo for the kennels was on the inside label, so I googled the address.”

Slowly—because he didn’t want her to snatch her hand back—he took the glove from her. “Thanks.”

“The hospital lost and found was overflowing, and I wanted to make sure Boom got her glove back,” the woman continued, then bit her lip. “And I wanted to be sure to thank you.” Her cheeks took on a fascinating pale pink blush.

Caught by surprise, Rojas raised his eyebrows. “Me?”

Maybe his tone had been the right encouragement, because she looked up again, her gaze meeting his, and the chemistry shocked him right down to his toes, hitting every vital organ—including his balls—along the way.

Blue-gray, cool as a calm day out on the water, her gaze held his. “You were very kind last night, and I didn’t thank you then. I try to thank the kind people I meet. So thank you.”

Rojas cleared his throat. “You’re welcome.”

He didn’t know what else to say. He’d only given her some ice, a cup of coffee, and a card about the martial arts center. Boom had a good sense for people, and when she’d said the woman needed the referral for the self-defense classes, he’d been inclined to agree.

She broke their eye contact, and he felt the loss as if someone had broken the circuit on an electrical current. “I should be going now.”

“Wait.” He didn’t know what made him ask her to. But she paused, balanced on the balls of her feet at the edge of the landing. He was sure if he didn’t catch her now she’d be gone for good. “I didn’t get your name.”

“Oh.” She turned to face him. Another sign that she’d learned caution but she wasn’t afraid by nature. She was open. A people person. Or at least more of one than he was. “Elisa Hall.”

*****

Review:

I loved Extreme Honor and was super excited to know more about Alex. And Drake didn’t disappoint … until the end of the book. I’m going to give some potentially major spoilers so stop reading now if you don’t want to know.

Last warning.

OK, so Elisa is running from something and she’s lucky enough to be taken in by the Hope’s Crossing crew. If you read Extreme Honor then you know what a group of serious bad-asses those guys are. All three of them are strong, smart and brave. Being the men that they are you know that they have a few hang-ups, they’ve lived and fought very hard, so they’ve seen and done things that leave some scars. And Alex isn’t any different. He’s battling some PTSD but he’s trying to keep it together for his daughter, who he isn’t afraid to show he loves with everything he is. And she’s a pretty kickin’ kid because of it. She’s saucy and quick and fun; a definitely highlight of the story.

When he runs across Elisa it is very clear that she’s trying to escape from something but his work with the dogs has taught him patience and insight. Offering her a job helps her get her feet under her and hopefully some time so she can figure out what to do. And maybe Alex can figure out what he can do to help. But the man she’s running from is powerful, connected and smart, which makes Elisa afraid to stay for too long or let anyone get too close. Alex (and Boom & Souze) is hard to resist so she finds herself getting involved and letting him in.

Up to this point, everything is going great and he’s showing what a fantastic hero he is. **Spoilers** She’s understandably wary but slowly both are making progress to trusting each other and letting their attraction turn into more … until Alex completely does a 180 and punks out. A “friend” from Elisa’s past makes an appearance, says a few things that push Alex’s buttons, and he walks away. Granted Elisa hasn’t shared everything about her past, but enough for him to know that leaving her alone is a VERY bad idea. But he does it anyway, which of course means she’s vulnerable to be taken by the man she’s trying to escape. *sigh* Why?!? I know that he’s feeling like maybe he’s been had but he’s smart & experienced enough that I would have expected him to pull out and regroup but not leaver her there alone and unprotected with someone from her past who magically has found her all the way across the country. When she’s been on the run for a long time and obviously scared of being found. Ugh! I can see where it works for the plot to have her alone but surely there was another way? Because I lost a lot of respect for him at that moment. And she just forgives him afterward. I’d be so beyond pissed!

If you made it this far I’ll say that you may be more understanding of his position than I was. I kinda get where Drake was going and can almost understand but I feel like these guys should be more than average. I’m giving the book 3.5 stars because about 90% of it is fantastic, as good as Extreme Honor, but the ending just killed it for me. I’m looking forward to giving the next book a go because I’m hoping that this was just a one off thing.

*****

Author Info:

Now, PJ is exploring the complexity of romantic suspense, incorporating her interests in mixed martial arts and the military into her writing.

*****

Book Review – Extreme Honor

06 Friday May 2016

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Book Review

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Book Review, Extreme Honor, Piper J. Drake, The True Heroes Series

Extreme Honor

The True Heroes Series

by Piper J. Drake

HONOR, LOYALTY, LOVE

David Cruz is good at two things: war and training dogs. The ex-soldier’s toughest case is Atlas, a Belgian Malinois whose handler died in combat. Nobody at Hope’s Crossing kennel can break through the animal’s grief. That is, until dog whisperer Evelyn Jones walks into the facility . . . and into Atlas’s heart. David hates to admit that the curvy blonde’s mesmerizing effect isn’t limited to canines. But when Lyn’s work with Atlas puts her in danger, David will do anything to protect her.

Lyn realizes that David’s own battle scars make him uniquely qualified for his job as a trainer. Tough as nails yet gentle when it counts, he’s gotten closer to Atlas than anyone else—and he’s willing to put his hard-wired suspicion aside to let her do the same. But someone desperate enough to kill doesn’t want Lyn working with Atlas. Now only teamwork, trust, and courage can save two troubled hearts and the dog who loves them both . . .

You really have to like Alphas to get into David. He’s sexy in an in-charge kind of way. He’s military through and through, willing to take on the bad guys and kick some butt. It also tends to make him think he always knows best and to be the strong-silent-type.

Lyn grew up with a career military man for a stepfather and it’s left her with some issues. He’s not a caring man, hard and tough – his way or the highway kind of thing. She’s spent her whole life trying to prove something to him. Unfortunately that bleeds over into her first interactions with David. Luckily they quickly find a middle ground that works for them … and that over time develops into something more.

This one reminded me a lot of Lynn Rae Harris’s HOT series, where you get romance mixed with suspense but not a lot of lightheartedness. Which is fine – there are those kinds of books and then these kinds of books (and other kinds of books :)) but if you were expecting something with cutesy interactions you aren’t going to get it. Instead you get a strong hero, a heroine that can keep up with him, and a bit of intrigue to keep them guessing.

I will warn you now that while we get some answers, we don’t get them all so there is sure to be a continuation of the mystery in future stories. And I have to say that I’m glad this is the start of a series because I didn’t get all of the answers I needed about the guys running the Hope’s Crossing kennel. I can’t wait to get to know David’s friends better 🙂 And to find out more about the group who caused them a bunch of trouble here.

Spotlight – Extreme Honor

25 Monday Jan 2016

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour, Contest, Sneak Peek

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Extreme Honor, Piper J. Drake, True Heroes series

Hot military heroes, the women who love them, and the devoted dogs that always have their backs. EXTREME HONOR is the first book in a high adrenaline contemporary suspense series from Piper J. Drake published by Forever Romance. Fans of Jill Shalvis’s Animal Attraction series and Cindy Gerard’s One Eyed Jacks, will love this brand new action packed romantic suspense series.

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Extreme Honor

True Heroes #1

by Piper J. Drake

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Release Date: January 26, 2016

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing- Forever

Blurb:

Lyn realizes that David’s own battle scars make him uniquely qualified for his job as a trainer. Tough as nails yet gentle when it counts, he’s gotten closer to Atlas than anyone else—and he’s willing to put his hard-wired suspicion aside to let her do the same. But someone desperate enough to kill doesn’t want Lyn working with Atlas. Now only teamwork, trust, and courage can save two troubled hearts and the dog who loves them both . . .

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Exerpt:

Her heart rate had picked up, fluttering at the pulse point under his touch.

“Yeah?” The urge to slide has hands over more delicate areas grew and he couldn’t help running his thumb along the inside of her arm.

Awareness grew in her gaze and she bit her lip as she nodded.

He leaned toward her, focused on her plump lip caught under her teeth.

“What else do you like?”

She opened her mouth to answer but he didn’t plan to let her get a word out. Maybe later. He bent his head to capture her lips.

And seventy five pounds of fur jumped up on his side.

“The hell?”

Lyn gasped. “Atlas!”

“Af.” Mindful of the dog’s injury, Cruz gave Atlas a gentle shove.

The dog dropped back to all fours, his tongue lolling. Looking from him to Lyn and back again, Atlas lay back down on his belly.

Jealous. Damn dog was jealous.

Be real. Every dog recognizes a fake. And good men can see through it too.

“I’d really like to help.” Honest. Simple. All the other reasons paled in comparison to this.

“Whatever is going on, you know more about it than I do.” She licked her lips, her mouth gone dry.

His gaze dipped, focusing on her mouth. “I might. I know something. I’m not sure it’s related. But this next question is important.”

Can I kiss you?

Doubtful that was the question he was going to ask. But the moment was drawing out and she very much wanted for him to ask it. “Okay.”

“Do you think I would hurt you?”

“No!” It popped out before she had time to think about it. Anger burned up from her chest and spread outward. She scowled. “Of course n—”

He kissed her.

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Book two in the True Heroes series – Ultimate Courage – available July 26, 2016

Elisa Hall is good at starting from scratch. Leaving an abusive relationship in her rearview, she packs everything she owns into the trunk of her car and heads for refuge with her friend in Hope’s Crossing, Pennsylvania.

Alex Rojas returned from his second deployment as a Navy SEAL to find his condo empty and divorce papers on the breakfast table. Now he’s building a life for himself and his daughter at Hope’s Crossing kennels training younger dogs and handlers to search and rescue, struggling to adjust to life back in the States and as a single father.

When Elisa shows up at the kennels, it’s obvious she’s running from something. Luckily, the dogs and trainers at Hope’s Crossing are more than capable of warding off trouble. And with every minute he spends with Elisa, Alex becomes even more and more determined to protect the woman he’s certain he won’t be able to live without…

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*****

Author Info:

Now, PJ is exploring the complexity of romantic suspense, incorporating her interests in mixed martial arts and the military into her writing.

Connect with Piper at

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Giveaway:

Win a signed copy of Extreme Honor

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b050ef29178/

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