Book Review – Dark Blue

28 Wednesday Oct 2015

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Book Review, Dark Blue, Ranae Rose, South Island PD series

Dark Blue

South Island PD #1

by Ranae Rose

If Belle is going to get a speeding ticket, it might as well be written by the hottest cop South Island has ever seen. But Officer Jackson Calder isn’t just a daydream in blue, he’s the first man she ever slept with, and the only one she doesn’t regret.

One routine traffic stop, and Jackson’s past is back to haunt him in the most bittersweet way imaginable. Too good for him and too good to forget, Belle became a fantasy after she left the island. Now that she’s home for good in the Lowcountry, she’s a living, breathing temptation he can’t resist.

He was her first, but that was just the beginning. It’s being the last that counts.

Book 1 in the South Island PD Series

I was absolutely hooked on Rose’s Lock and Key stories and was ecstatic to find out that she started up a new law enforcement series. Just like the other books I’ve read, Dark Blue has a strong, upstanding hero and a sharp heroine who is a great match for him. The history between them adds a nice emotional depth to the story and it brings a little bit of baggage into the relationship right away, helping to cement their feelings pretty quickly.

The first 80% or so of the story is about the two of them, laying the ground work of their relationship … and some HOT ground work it is 🙂 It’s sweet and sexy and fluid as they move through their deepening feelings. I love that Rose then adds a little danger at the end, injecting some action and drama to the story. You know that things work out well for them, as romances do, but she had me biting my nails so I definitely say that’s a win.

Both Belle and Jackson have friends that could lead to great books so I am definitely looking forward to what Rose brings us next!

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Book Review – Officer on Duty

30 Sunday Aug 2015

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Book Review, Lock and Key series, Officer on Duty, Ranae Rose

Officer on Duty

(Lock and Key #4)

by Ranae Rose

Life is tough but Sergeant Jeremy Connor is tougher. Riley County, North Carolina is recovering from a year of hell when devastation strikes again, and the Sheriff’s Department is working the frontlines. On top of keeping the community safe, there’s Jeremy’s greatest responsibility: raising his daughter. Alone.

Seeing local women turn up dead is enough to shake any father, even a veteran sheriff’s deputy. After years of loneliness, the timing couldn’t be worse to let another woman into his life. But he’d have better luck resisting gravity than resisting Lucia Ramirez, the first to prove there’s still a heart beneath his bullet proof vest.

For the first time in over a decade, serving and protecting isn’t enough to satisfy him anymore. But someone to love means someone to lose…

Book 4 in the Lock and Key Series

Just like all of the other books in the Lock and Key series, I really enjoyed Officer on Duty. It had just that right amount of suspense to offset a sexy love story.

The romance portion was sweet, well developed and realistic. My only complaint is that I didn’t completely understand why Jeremy didn’t think that he was relationship material. I get that his wife left him and their newborn daughter when he was quite young but I would have thought he would have gotten over that in the dozen years since then. I don’t know if there was more to their story that we weren’t given or maybe it was a little too subtle for me (I can be a little oblivious to undercurrents – which is one of the reasons I hated dissecting stories in English class). If he’d had a few more bad experiences or there was more info on his marriage maybe it wouldn’t have bothered me. As it was, he would start in and I thought “whatever, Jeremy, you are a hottie in your uniform with a big heart and smarts to boot. Who wouldn’t want a guy like that?”

Besides being sexy, caring and intelligent, he also has a deep feeling of responsibility for his community and those in his life. It’s a great thing to have not only in a police officer but also in the man in your life. Which means that once he got over himself he turned into a great boyfriend 🙂 And Lucia was great. She’s fun, caring, and recognized a good thing when she saw it – she’s patient and willing to wait for Jeremy to get his act together … which is good because that man is HOT in his uniform, and out of it.

I really enjoyed the slow build for the mystery. We were given the first part of it pretty much right away and then got glimpses into the killer as we move thru the story. It made for a compelling, albeit quite cracked, bad guy. You don’t like her but you kinda understood where she was coming from (in a crazy pants kind of way) – why she was the way she was and how she came to this point in her life, which is important to a good story. And her actions reached into Jeremy and Lucia’s lives, leaving a big impact.

When I finished Officer in Pursuit, I was excited to see what Rose would do for Jeremy and she doesn’t disappoint. She gave our true-hearted deputy a touch of danger and a good women to help him. I’m very sorry to see the series end but I’m ready for whatever Rose has in store for us next. Looks like she’s got something in the works with the first book in her South Island PD series debuting this fall. I’m sure it too will be full of sexy guys, strong women, intrigue, heat and heart.

(Oh for those that are new to the series, you can start here. The characters from earlier stories make and appearance and there are some references to previous plots but it isn’t a big deal.)

Book Review – Officer in Pursuit

26 Monday Jan 2015

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Book Review, Lock and Key series, Officer in Pursuit, Ranae Rose

Officer in Pursuit (Lock and Key Book 3)

Ranae Rose

Secrets are what Kerry has lived and breathed for the past three years, and those secrets may kill her, if she’s not careful. Her new life in a coastal North Carolina paradise is haunted by her past and ruled by her number one goal: to not be noticed. Even if that means denying her attraction to Officer Grey Morgan, who’s set his sights on her beyond any doubts and despite all odds.

Grey has spent his summer in pursuit of Kerry, but what he doesn’t know is that nothing with her is as it seems and loving her comes with a price.

What she doesn’t know is that there’s no risk he won’t take, and no way he’ll let her fight her demons alone.

If you have read either of my other reviews in this series (Officer Next Door and Officer Out of Uniform) you know that I love Rose’s books. They have that perfect amount of danger and heat, but she doesn’t skimp on the heart.

We’ve seen both Kerry and Grey in the previous stories and we’ve watched as they’ve danced around their attraction to each. But with Officer in Pursuit we finally get a chance to find out why Kerry has been resisting the oh-so-sexy officer. I love how Grey is willing to put himself out there again and again, knowing that Kerry is worth it and waiting for her to give him a chance. He’s confident, caring and funny – absolutely perfect for falling in love with. But Kerry has her secrets and they are doozies. When they finally come to light, they bring with them a threat that she can only face if she’s willing to let Grey and her friends in. I can see why she thinks that she has to hold so much inside but the support she receives once everything is revealed is just what she needs.

Full of humor and adventure and sexiness galore, Rose once again delivers a winner. And I can’t wait until we get the next book to see what she brings our favorite police officer, Jeremy.

Book Review – Officer Out of Uniform

07 Wednesday Jan 2015

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Book Review, Lock and Key series, Officer Out of Uniform, Ranae Rose

The only thing better than a man in uniform is a man out of uniform. Sasha has never been more certain of anything in her life, and she’s never wanted anyone more than she wants Officer Henry Dryden. Tall, tough and battle-scarred, he’s the first man to capture not just her eye, but her heart. With curves and the confidence to use them, it’s not hard to attract his attention, or get him to break out those cuffs and keys. But for the first time, getting exactly what she wants feels dangerously like risking it all.

There’s no question about the one thing Henry wants most when it comes to Sasha: to protect her. After their coastal North Carolina community is sent a message via the brutal murder of the prison warden, no one is safe. Henry can’t afford to be distracted by things like the all-consuming desire Sasha inspires. There’ll be time for that later … if he can keep her from getting caught in the crossfire of a killer’s revenge scheme. Haunted by the ghosts of his past, he’ll do anything to avoid being the only one to walk out of a war zone alive again. The way forward is clear: stop the convict who’s hunting officers in Riley County, and keep Sasha safe … or die trying.

A follow up to Officer Next Door, Officer Out of Uniform picks up where the first book left off and keeps going full-tilt. For once, I’m actually reading a series start to finish and I think that it is important here. The jailbreak that played such a central part of the first story continues with this one. And while Officer Next Door wasn’t open-ended, I think that a lot of the momentum from that book continues on here.

I love Sasha. She’s got a big spirit and she’s not afraid to show it to the world. She’s the complete opposite of the quiet Henry, who has had a lot of bad things happen in his life. They’ve left him both emotionally and physically scarred, but Sasha brings him out of the shell he’s retreated to. And to keep things exciting (as if the bedroom scenes aren’t enough to get your heart pumping), there is an escaped convict on the loose threatening everyone around them. It’ll definitely keep you on your toes until the last page.

Full of danger and passion and a whole lot of heart, Officer Out of Uniform is another can’t miss book from Ranae Rose.

Spotlight – Officer Out of Uniform

19 Friday Sep 2014

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour, Contest, Sneak Peek

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Lock and Key series, Officer Out of Uniform, Ranae Rose

Some of you might remember when we looked at Officer Next Door (which I loved) … well, now we get book two and it looks to be a scorcher!

*****

Officer Out of Uniform

Lock and Key, #2

by Ranae Rose

Publication Date: September 19th

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Blurb:

Amazon | B&N | iBooks | Kobo | Goodreads

*****

Author Info:

Ranae Rose is the best-selling author of more than twenty adult romances and counting. Originally from Maryland, she grew up the daughter of a US Marine and always wanted to be a writer. Today she lives on the US East Coast with her man in uniform, young children, German Shepherd dogs and overflowing bookshelves.

Her love affair with the romance genre began as a teen when a classmate handed her a romance comic book. Instantly hooked, she read them during class behind her textbooks and under her desk. She hasn’t looked back since.

When she’s not writing or reading, she enjoys things like good coffee, travel and fitness – especially pursuing her elusive goal of getting her husband to tap out on the jiu jitsu mats (no luck so far).

Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

*****

(Ya’ll, I’m sharing the mild excerpt here but I read the explicit one … whew! I’m so ready to get my hands on this one.)

Excerpt:

Sasha was glued to the TV when someone knocked on the door, nearly sending her into cardiac arrest.

In a move straight from some sort of slapstick comedy, she slipped right off the edge of her seat and flopped onto the carpet, as graceful as a fish out of water.

Oh, God. Who could possibly be knocking?

She glanced frantically toward the nearest window and the dusky evening beyond its pane. It was late in the day and she had no plans. After restraining herself from rushing to Henry’s and talking to her mom, she’d settled in for a little TV.

Which had turned into watching the news, which had scared the hell out of her.

What if there was a murderer at her door? Sure, it might be a dramatic conclusion to jump to, but then again… Cypress was a small town, and one thing was for sure: a murderer was out there somewhere. As much as she’d like to think she was just being paranoid, she knew Kerry or Alicia would’ve called before coming over.

Sasha rolled, her gaze darting toward the kitchen as she pushed herself up. When she stood, her heart was speeding and her legs were a little shaky. When another knock came at the door, she wanted to throw herself down on the floor again, where it would be harder for anyone to peek in at her through the windows.

Why, God why, had she ever rented a first floor apartment?

Shaking her head, she took a deep breath and darted out of the living room. Luckily for her – and unfortunately for any serial killers – she knew her way around a kitchen. In fact, she’d be willing to bet that few people in Riley County were more skilled with a knife than she was.

Without skipping a beat, she grabbed her Shun Premier chef’s knife. It was so sharp, you could practically cut yourself by just glancing at it. Great for use on both meat and vegetables – even ripe ones – it was without a doubt the most dangerous item in her home.

She gripped it with her right hand and grabbed her favorite 12” stainless steel skillet with her left, just in case. She could use it as a bludgeon, or a shield if needed.

Armed with some of her most treasured tools, she approached the front door and rocked up onto her tiptoes, peeking through the peep hole. What she saw took her breath away, and she nearly dropped the knife onto her vulnerable bare toes.

“Henry!” she breathed a moment later, tucking the skillet under her arm and wrenching the door open. “It’s just you!”

He stood on her doorstep with a dozen red roses. His grey eyes widened. “You were expecting someone else? I hope…”

She became conscious once again of her death-grip on the Shun’s handle. “I was worried you might be a serial killer. Have you seen the news?”

He frowned and cast a quick glance over his shoulder. “Can I come in?”

“Sure.”

He stepped inside quickly, closing and locking her door before she could even blink.

A little of the tension seemed to go out of his shoulders once he had the locked door at his back, but not much. He laid the roses down on the counter, but not before Sasha saw that his knuckles were white against the florist’s cellophane wrapper.

“If you saw the news, why did you answer the door?” he asked.

“Because it was you, of course. I looked through the peep hole.”

He nodded toward her hands. “The fact that you picked up weapons makes it look like you were considering opening the door even if it wasn’t someone you knew.”

“Well… Maybe. I wasn’t going to just ignore it. It would be rude not to at least see who was there.”

Henry frowned. “Being a nice person can get you killed. In a situation like this, politeness is just stupidity.” He was in full-on Grumpy Bear mode now, growling and frowning like he had his own personal storm cloud hanging over his head. “What’s worse – someone’s feelings getting hurt, or you actually getting hurt?”

Apparently it was a rhetorical question. He strode purposefully across the room, to the windows. The muscles in his arms rippled as he yanked the kitchen curtains shut, then moved on to the living room, where he did the same. He seemed to have forgotten all about the bouquet of red roses he’d brought with him.

“Uh, Henry?” She laid her weapons down on the counter.

He turned to face her. “Where’s your bedroom? The curtains shouldn’t be open in there either.”

Sasha tipped her head toward the short hallway. “On the left.”

He made a beeline for her room, and she followed him. “Are you going to fill me in on why you’re closing all my curtains?”

“So no one can see inside.”

He sounded serious, but she wriggled her eyebrows anyway. “I take it this means you have something really wild planned for us.”

*****

Giveaway:

18K white gold plated handcuff and key necklace

(+Lock and Key swag)

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/5440a354168/

*****

Book Review – Officer Next Door

19 Tuesday Aug 2014

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

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Book Review, Lock and Key series, Officer Next Door, Ranae Rose

For our third and final post today, I’m super thrilled to get a chance to share with you Ranae Rose’s Officer Next Door. With a sexy prison guard hero, a spunky heroine and a good amount of danger, it’s an addictive page-turner. Make sure you check out the cute first-meet between the two, plus my review.

*****

Officer Next Door

by Ranae Rose

Publication Date: June 2, 2014

Genres: Contemporary, Erotica, Romance, Suspense

Blurb:

How can anyone resist temptation when it’s right next door?

Riley County North Carolina has a lot to offer: coastal views as far as the eye can see, and men in uniform who are even more gorgeous. Home to the most notorious prison in the state, Alicia’s new hometown is crawling with men who carry their own handcuffs and know how to use them – like Officer Liam Alexander, her one and only neighbor. After catching him out of uniform, she can’t resist pausing to enjoy the show. When Liam’s Southern charm drives him across the property line, life gets hotter than the Carolina summer could possibly account for. Unfortunately, there’s a dark side to life in the coastal haven, even with an officer next door.

Coordinating special events at a historic – and supposedly haunted – plantation is enough to have Alicia questioning her senses and her sanity, but the spirits of the past take a backseat to a pair of escaped convicts who blaze a trail of mayhem across Riley County. Not even the most intense chemistry can survive the perils that make a sunny seaside town a dangerous place to be after dark … can it?

Purchase Links

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1k9xtFn
Nook: http://bit.ly/1tyFRkZ
iBooks: http://bit.ly/1u45wiX
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1qNI0Ji

*****

Excerpt:

Chapter 1

The rising sun burnt on the Carolina horizon like a jewel, causing the tidal mist to light up like it’d been set on fire. It was the most gorgeous thing Alicia had ever seen, besides her naked neighbor. The sight of him stripping down lit up the morning like nothing else could – not even the extra-bold, extra-large cup of coffee she clutched as she stared through her kitchen window.

Everything about him was extra-large, too. She, however, was anything but bold.

She’d die if he knew she’d been watching him like this for the past three weeks, ever since she’d moved in. Guilt surged through her system just like her daily caffeine infusion, but that didn’t keep her from enjoying the display, all that taut muscle and bare skin.

Not even close.

“Good Lord,” she sighed, to no one but herself. DC seemed faraway already; the big city had disappeared in her rearview mirror weeks ago to be replaced by real Southern heat and charm, two things her new neighbor radiated in spades.

Not that she’d spoken to him much yet.

There’d been the occasional hello when they glimpsed each other outside, usually coming to or from work. That was it, mostly because the sight of him in uniform had a way of leaving her tongue-tied, silenced by the guilty pleasure that struck her every time she looked in his direction. She couldn’t so much as glance at him without thinking about that uniform coming off in slow motion, revealing his perfect body.

Maybe it was his fault for not closing the bathroom blinds, the ones that hung over the window directly across from the shower.

Or maybe it was her fault for enjoying the striptease with her morning coffee day after day, saying nothing.

Either way, she wasn’t complaining. Close-cropped dark hair, sun-tanned skin stretched over a six foot frame of solid muscle and an ass that appeared to be sculpted from granite, not to mention the amazing view when his back wasn’t to her: the vision had been seared into her memory, and it stayed with her even after he slung a towel around his hips and strolled out of the bathroom, disappearing from her view.

That was her cue to gulp down the rest of her coffee and pull herself together before she rushed to the Wisteria Plantation House. She’d been hired there as the special events coordinator, had moved and reshaped her life around the new job, though as she drained her coffee mug, swallowing the bitter grit that swirled at the bottom of the cup, she was so dazzled by what she’d just seen that it was sure to be a challenge just to coordinate her hair and makeup for the day, let alone an outfit.

Despite the sexually-charged fog her neighbor had left her in, she managed to brush on some cosmetic staples, twist her chestnut hair into a simple chignon and shed her robe, pulling on khaki pants and a purple blouse. As she dressed, she pretended that the brush of her own fingertips against her skin didn’t inspire imaginings of what it’d be like to feel her neighbor’s hands on her body. Lastly, she slipped on sandals, a pair with modest kitten heels that’d allow her to navigate Wisteria’s grounds without breaking an ankle.

Or so she thought. When she finally walked out the door with her purse slung over her shoulder and a travel mug in one hand, she tripped over the threshold and was launched forward through the muggy Carolina air.

She windmilled, dropping her handbag but – miracle of miracles – managing to maintain her grip on her coffee.

The mug was a fancy one that remained sealed until one pressed a button, freeing the flow of liquid within. As she bent to pick up her purse and then straightened, quickly smoothing her clothing, she realized that the anti-spill mug was the best twenty dollars she’d ever spent.

Heat flooded her cheeks as she said a silent prayer of gratitude for spill-proof technology. Her neighbor was standing on the front porch of his bungalow-style house, a cute place painted a shade of moss-green that blended right into the wooded backdrop. Judging by the way he stared, frowning in her direction, he’d seen everything.

“Are you all right?” His voice echoed across the few yards between them, sounding with a depth that sent a frisson racing down her spine.

*****

Review:

I’m going to start with a disclaimer. I’m not sure that everyone is going to appreciate the paranormal portion of the book – it’s hinted at a little in the blurb and it makes a few (occasionally important) appearances in the story, but I don’t know that it was developed as much as it could have been. So it might throw some people off stride, but for me the rest of the book made up for any oddities in having a ghost here and there in my suspense romance story.

I loved Liam and Alicia together and they are so sweet as they do a little dance around each other. Both are a little awkward as they try to decide if the other one is interested, but once they get their act together it goes full speed from there … and it works. Plus, with the escaped convicts, there is that extra touch of danger to keep things moving fast.

We’re also introduced to Alicia’s two girl friends who conveniently have the hots for Liam’s two guy friends (what are the chances, huh?). But the characters are intriguing and I’m looking forward to finding out more about them. Being prison guards there is definitely opportunity for sexy guys doing manly stuff to help their women, but the ladies seem strong enough that I think they’ll prove to be just as useful in getting out of scrapes. And there is enough of an opening at the end of Officer Next Door that I’m sure it will come to play in at least one of their stories.

Full of fabulously sexy men in uniform, a scrappy heroine (and future heroines), menacing bad guys, and hot bedroom scenes, Officer Next Door kept me turning pages and has me anticipating more installments in Rose’s Lock and Key series.

*****

Author Info:

Website • Blog • Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads

*****

Giveaway:

Signed Print of any Ranae Rose title & Lock and Key series swag

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/5440a35497/

*****

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